Rhonda Byrne’s book, “The Secret” – and the film of the same title – have become true global phenomenon. Millions of people around the world have purchased this guide in its various forms to get in on this 
supposedly life-changing, clandestine information.
It’s all based on the non-scientific “Law Of Attraction”. This theoretical law suggests that if and when you desire something, you must a) Ask the Universe for it, b) believe totally – and act - as if you already had the object of your desire and then c) wait. The book suggests that that which you long for will be with you before long. This can apply to everything; from a parking space outside the local Supermarket to that mansion to house you and your supermodel wife.
Of course, this mini-movement has many, many detractors. The fact that whole enterprise has virtually no scientific basis whatsoever is probably its Achilles’ Heel, at least for those who deem impirically measurable evidence a basis for belief. And that, as a self-contained theoretical argument, is fairly airtight.
But things are rarely as simple as that, at least in terms of actual human experience. The fractal, multi-layered nature of the mind, and how it moves and works, is something that all of science has only been able to accurately rationalize in a few fleeting bursts of brilliance. And even at that, many of those same theories are discounted in time and viewed as little more than historical curiosities (i.e., Freud’s fetish theory).
What something like “The Secret” does is offer the reader something much more simple and applicable; it lays out a practical set of instructions for achieving your hopes and dreams. It is a user’s manual for the mind.
And while many people, especially those of a particularly religious bent, are up in arms over the system’s seemingly Atheistic timbre, most have failed to notice that none of the information in the book is new. For example, Wallace D. Wattles wrote a book called “The Science Of Getting Rich” in 1910, which is essentially the inspiration for “The Secret” (but that applies more to the “monetary gain” side of the theory). Indeed, the fundamental idea that what you believe in is what you experience, is not new at all. Robert Anton Wilson has made reference to it countless times in his work. One of his more famous examples is probably that of the number 23; Wilson proposed that this number was consistently used more than other numbers, and that if you kept your wits about you, you would notice this phenomenon too.
In this statement, however, Wilson had an ulterior motive (as he almost always did). The basis for the experiment was not to find that, yes, 23 is indeed everywhere, but to understand that yes, 23 is indeed everywhere if you are looking for it. And so is everything else; wealth, opportunity, poverty, love, hate etc. The mind finds what it wants to find – or, as Wilson put it, “What the thinker thinks, the prover proves“.
I think that that single, beautiful axiom fairly explains, or at least, acts as a guide to a great amount of the human experience, with all its bizarre proclivities and aversions. The brain is a filtration system, and what you choose to filter is how you will see the universe.
“The Secret” seems to bypass explanation of this mechanism, and instead offers an overview, using different metaphors, of how simply to use it. It tells the reader that after they have decided upon a desire, they must think and act as if they already had it. Re-introducing Wilson’s theory, this is simply another way of telling the mind to look for evidence of your success, of the attainment of your goal, everywhere. If this is accomplished, you will have set up a miniature belief system, which, almost by definition, rejects any conflicting information (in the same way that someone on the lookout for 23 will all but ignore 1-22 and 24-infinity).
According to “The Secret”, this sets in motion a cosmic mechanism which will begin to draw that which you want inexorably towards you. This is what the book refers to as “The Law Of Attraction”. One might argue that this is not actually an ethereal attraction, but rather the end result of a mind that is trained to filter out all possibilities other than triumph. Sports psychologists have long been aware of this trend; it is rarely the physical exertion alone that wins a contest, but rather the mindset of the competitors. Any physician worth their salt knows that the patient’s mindset can totally overrule the physical prognosis, be it for better or worse.
In his book “The War Of Art”, Steven Pressfield describes how the very act of working creatively seems to generate all sorts of ‘lucky breaks’ for the author:
“A process is set in motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our causes; serendipity reinforces our purpose.”
I have observed this myself first hand. When crafting something new, the most discrete elements regularly fall together in unpredicted harmony. Combinations of musical notes and chords arise as if by accident, video edits sync up to create effects that exceed your original expectations, ideas fall from the sky to tie two disparate, awkward paragraphs together. You can argue about the mathematics of chance all day, but the fact remains that this happens with alarming regularity. Deciding to create something seems to draw the Muses down from the heavens.
It seems especially astounding that many of the mental techniques described in “The Secret” are adaptations of methods considered “occult” not long ago. The entire process of Sigil Magick, for example, is 
based on deciding to do or get something, writing it down, warping the words into an image, mentally sending the image out into the ether… and then waiting for the actuality to come to you. Techniques like this were once used by social misfits like “The Great Demon” Aleister Crowley; now they are sold as part of a glossy movie with a tie-in book, and featured on Oprah.
Regardless of the metaphors used to describe the incredible results of human determination, the simple fact remains that the ability to harness it is a wonderful thing. And while some of the constructs in “The Secret” can come across as terribly overwrought at times, it is based on old information that people have used for centuries. It is certainly flawed in places, and offers rather simplistic views of, for example, why bad events sometimes befall people (they drew it upon themselves, apparently).
But at its heart, it is simply trying to say that good thoughts and good actions will bring good things. It implores that generosity is a supreme virtue. It advocates laughter, love and gratitude as essential tenets for a happy life. And no matter how OTT the presentation or dubious the science, anything that promotes those kinds of ideals has to be admired. As for the Law Of Attraction? Well, it might be cosmic movements and it might just be human determination.
Whatever the case, if it looks like it works and it feels like it works, then it works.
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Further Viewing:
“The Secret” – Entire film viewable on Google Video
“Robert Anton Wilson – Maybe Logic” – Entire film viewable on Google Video
