The Secret

[Stackys]

AIBU to give “the secret” any thought?

I toyed with it years ago. Asked “the universe” for a £10 note. Walking through York the night after, found a wet soggy £10 note on the floor in a graveyard.

Played with it again a few weeks later. Asked the universe for a red balloon. Immediately afterwards I put YouTube on to listen to some music and the first recommended video was a song called something like “10 red balloons”. I’d never heard of the song before.

When I was a child, before I knew of “the secret” we were moving house and I desperately wanted a garden with steps in it. That would have been highly unusual in this area but I kept on thinking about it obsessively. The house we moved to had steps in the garden (the only house in the whole street that did).

My friend goes on about the secret all the time, I put all my “successes” down to coincidence as the alternative sounds batshit but some people truly believe it works, intelligent people!!

I watched the movie yesterday and I’ve decided I want £50k in my bank by New Year’s Eve 😂 ironically DH said to me this morning “we have nearly x amount in bank! The most we’ve ever had!” (Nowhere near £50k) ... maybe it’s already working lol

This is of course lighthearted but I’d be interested to hear other people’s experiences of it?! Please don’t turn it into a “you’re a fucking imbecile OP” type thread, it’s just for fun.

I wanted to own a house outright and be debt free We move in a few weeks to our outright owned home. But we lost a beloved family member. Not to be negative, but there's a lot of truth in be careful what you wish for. There are no shortcuts in life.

@Jellybeansincognito exactly- it’s just BS. Murder victims clearly didn’t want it not to happen enough. People driven to suicide clearly didn’t send their wants clearly. People in concentration camps should have tried a bit harder? Ffs

There's no magic powder, I can visualise a giant frog in a pink dress speaking russian in my living-room for hours, it will never happen.

But your requests also have to be attainable, not ridiculous.

I'd personally caution against the Secret - it's a watered down version of the actual law of attraction, which is only one of many universal "laws". It leads you down the path of what I call the "love and light brigade", again a watered down, and actually rather harmful, version of spirituality. It can be a good starting point, but do delve further and look into shadow work too.

The LOA worked for my mum. She got obsessed watching videos on youtube/writing things down. Almost quite demonic walking around the house 'I will get a new car.... I will pick it up soon etc'.

We were driving past a car showroom and she wanted us to go in to have a 'look'. She ended up in a four year lease agreement (with paying a sum to buy it at the end). £400 a month agreement with a few grand at the end but she didn't care about the finer details. As soon as we left the forecourt she cried and thanked the universe as they had provided her with a brand new car.

Over that four years she had to borrow/ask for money to make the payments - any tom, dick or harry with a bizarre mindset could have also got a brand new car that day with no deposit myself included as then a uni student.

Sometimes I think it's just a positive outlook/mindset with people working harder/more motivated. There's a slight part of me that don't want to mess with it as who says its the 'universe' providing these things - seems a little witchcrafty.

I don't consider myself a 'woo' person, but it was my DH who said I seem to have a sixth sense for things. I hadn't really thought about it, but I do have strong gut instincts and have had many positive coincidences in my life. It sort of comforts me to feel the universe steps in if I'm heading in the wrong direction or nudges me towards a decision. Probably pure luck, but we don't know everything about everything and I don't see what's wrong with a bit of faith in the future and positive thinking.

Of course I don't think people are responsible for their own illnesses. Some things in life are out of our control.

Murder victims clearly didn’t want it not to happen enough. People driven to suicide clearly didn’t send their wants clearly
No-one has said that here. People being nasty, abusive, bullying, insensitive, evil - isn't the responsibility of any book. If we blame books for people's actions then we start down the road of absolving people from responsibility for their bad behaviour and we start down the road of book burning again. And as we've seen recently book burning is back in fashion and it's never a progressive or compassionate position.

I keep wishing for world peace, an end to hunger and equality throughout but it's just not working. Any tips OP?

I read the magic - it was a pile of 💩

I like the idea of it, but I wonder how many of the posters on here have started out on an already privileged path, such as be intellectually bright, have a job with career opportunities, a supportive partner, etc.

No one remotely 'intellectually bright' would believe in this farrago of nonsense and confirmation bias.

It effectively blames people’s cancer on their unhappiness to name a few , which is disgusting

Thank fuck I didn't read it! Someone I barely know tried really hard to push this on me when DM was dying.

@tvtvtv

I think a lot of people’s experiences are like that - they are focusing on the image not the finer details so do get what they ‘want’ but at a cost which they are ignoring. Particularly lately in this era of cheap credit.

Goals, thinking things through carefully with intent, research - these are the ways to get somewhere but as a pp said wrapping it up in mysticism appeals more to some people and makes it seem fun and easier - it gives them a sense of control to ironically.

@NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite

Have you got a link? I’d be interested in that.

I think there is a measurable effect to do with positive and negative thinking in some specific scenarios, like competitive sport.

But just wishing for something from "the universe" and it appearing seems unlikely, and also the wishing itself just seems off and silly to me. My woo sister was telling me about it a while ago and I just thought it sounded like a spoilt child "I want this, I want that" :o

I think I have a deep Calvinist streak that makes me think you should work for or deserve things somehow and not just wish them into your lap. And what kind of Universe is it that it will respond to someone wishing for a £10 note but let someone else die of starvation or a horrible disease? Hmmm?

" It effectively blames people’s cancer on their unhappiness to name a few , which is disgusting"
Although there is an element of truth to this...its known that stress /anxiety can trigger some cancers.

Positive thinking and the art of gratitude work for me every time.Never read it myself.

My mother, who died ten years ago won a new car on a TV game show type programme. You just send in your address and phone number for the draw.

She told us that she knew she was going to win before they called out her name.

She probably never heard of the law of attraction, and would be considered uneducated, although she was intelligent.

The way she explained it made me do a double take. Mysterious.

I took the dog for a walk to his usual field and half way round there was a large, pure white butterfly just sitting on the grass. I walk my dog in that field several times a day, most days and have never seen a butterfly there,, ever. I stopped and looked closely and it didn’t fly away. After a while I walked on and when I circled back round it was gone. I really felt it was some sort of sign and thought to myself, perhaps it means that I will sell that large item today. When I got home there was a message from someone wanting to buy it. I have never seen a butterfly in that field since

Wow, and not in a good way.

She told us that she knew she was going to win before they called out her name.
But did she say that before they called out her name?

If not then the chances are that she has thought that a number of times, but then forgotten about it, or she's bigged up a minor "maybe I'll win" thought.

but some people truly believe it works, intelligent people!!
Intelligent people can be remarkedly lacking in common sense. You only need to stop at the PM to see that.

If you are saying that all you have to do to be successful/have something is ask the universe, then you are by implication say people who aren't successful/don't have is their fault.
It's a bit like when people say about someone who had cancer "they're such a determined person/strong fighter/positive thinker that we knew they'd win." You are by implication saying that anyone who dies from cancer didn't think they would get better so they "lost".

This reminds me of all that younique law of attraction stuff - round here there are lots of women who I suspect are really quite lonely and possibly struggling a lot competing to look like they have the most perfect lives in the world on social media, and it's all because of a bit of over priced make-up. Unsurprisingly, the women I know who genuinely seem content with their lot don't do a huge amount of social media and definitely don't do younique (except as charity after been guilt tripped into buying something from a friend they know is secretly having a hard time). God i hate younique.

Is The Secret the author of the book? Because several have asked and nobody is actually confirming the title and author.

Obviously, I think it's a load of bollocks. But when I was about 10, I had ten premium bonds that never won. I was complaining, and my DM said as a joke, "let's incantate over them and see if we win."

My dad was totally sceptical, and rolled his eyes, so DM laid out the premium bonds on the table, and got me to chant with her, "Ernie, Ernie, please let one of these come up..." and we read out the numbers. A few days later, I got the cheque for £50!

Obviously, it was a coincidence, but DM hid the premium bonds, as she was worried I'd start believing in witchcraft, and we never did it again! However, I think I might do this again at the end of August (I've still got those bonds!), and I'll let you know if I get the million this time!

It's a bit silly, but it certainly doesn't hurt to think positive and think about what you want out of life.

The cancer thing makes no sense to me at all. I know some people who, despite being upbeat, positive people, not under huge amounts of stress, slim, active, having children to live for, etc have died. They 'fought' like tigers. Nothing in their lives suggested they 'attracted' such terrible disease to themselves.

I’m a big believer in the secret. Positive thinking plus believing that you are worthy is so much better than being doubtful and lacking confidence.
Visualising your goals on a regular basis helps - but you have to make sure you’re also taking consistent action to get there. It’s not a magic wand to get your wishes, it’s a positive mindset to help you achieve.
Plus being truly grateful for what you have actually means you want less in the long run. It helps eliminate greed.