Over the last several weeks, in particular after Oprah hosted two shows about this sleeper hit, we are seeing a lot of negative publicity as it relates to the success of The Secret . The recent article in Newsweek, along with a plethora of "opportunistic" critics are jumping on the bandwagon to discredit and on some level ruin the chances of people getting to the core essence of the underlying message – your thoughts and perceptions create your reality and happiness and fulfillment is always and will only be the responsibility of the seeker.
It is really profoundly simple. . .
Our beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, feelings and behaviors (all free- will based choices) do create our reality.
We all have our own UNIQUE RECIPE that we add into the foundational mix of Universal Principles.
And, many people simply have not fully discovered their unique recipe for co-creating or manifesting the life of their dreams.
One can not generate/cause/manifest/attract and sustain the desired outcomes they are seeking without all of the ingredients in the recipe for manifesting beauty and greatness in one's life.
THE POWER OF CYNICISM
Cynicism and criticism often cause folks to come to a screeching halt when it comes to making internal and external changes that are GOOD for them.
A dangerous side effect is that people don't challenge themselves to grow and evolve, thus never fully integrate all of the ingredients into their personal recipes for happiness and fulfillment. This then causes them to continue to look outside themselves and even blame others for the current conditions in their lives.
This human tendency to look outside oneself for causes of pain and dissatisfaction--and solutions for happiness--is quite frankly a non-serving, non-productive habit that is begging be broken for the sake of all humanity. Unchallenged in this cross-cultural habit, we contribute to a powerfully potent recipe for the proliferation of conflict, blame, division, and the devastating illusion of separation.
PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY IS THE PATH TO GLOBAL HEALING
This lack of personal accountability is the source of most conflict we experience as a global culture. At the very least, becoming personally accountable for our co-creations is HOW we can begin to shift consciousness on a global level.
Let's use our collective brains and give these good hearted, well intended folks a break and stop using others as excuses or distractions from expanding into our higher realities!
THE NATURE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND - ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE!
To critics of The Secret who say that it is overly simplified and too focused on material wealth, keep in mind that unfortunately, the main thing that gets most people's attention is the promise of money, quick fixes and the acquisition of materialistic possessions. Rule of thumb in traditional marketing and even in the creation of movies, is to integrate the current knowledge of cultural wants, desires and demands into what we produce and make available to the consumer.
Consumer demands and preferences are reflected in the attention getting angles that are then communicated in both the creation and marketing of ALL THAT IS MADE AVAILABLE TO US. As much as consumerism and media influence a culture, we also need to understand that what we see in the movies, television, new products, services, advertising and politics are outpicturings of what we are demanding and/or accepting to see more of in our lives.
AND THEN WE WONDER. . .
We then wonder why political campaigns focus on destroying the opponent rather than allowing us to really get to know their true philosophies and commitments. We wonder why violence and sex sells and why the news is always bad. And, we wonder why we are so addicted to drama, conflict, victimhood, competition, and gossip. Celebrity dramas become "breaking news" and as soon as someone makes a mistake, we glamorize their behavior by making it into a Reality TV show, or we hang them out to dry.
Through our lack of forgiveness, we support their destruction by feeding into the demand for more, more, more! The plain and simple truth is that we do "get what we ask for" and that until we stop consuming some of what is out there (including our day to day conversations and story telling) we'll keep seeing what we are seeing.
UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND
It comes down to the simple economic principle of supply and demand. We are supplied with what we have grown to unconsciously and consciously demand as a culture. Quick fixes, justifiable distractions, and fear based marketing that focuses on feeding insecurities, an inherent sense of lack, or false happiness (as opposed to fulfilling their God-given purposes that lead to TRUE ABUNDANCE) will always prevail until we, as a society, began demanding, consistently, with love and commitment, something different. I am not talking about protesting or boycotting, just engaging in a more conscious approach to what we as consumers are consuming, thus feeding into the economic demand--the outpicturing of desire.
WHAT SELLS IS WHAT STAYS
When television shows like "The Simple Life" and "The Flavor of Love" (the number one show on VH1) are renewed year after year and positive, empowering shows like "Joan of Arcadia" are canceled due to low viewership, we need to consider the fact that we simply are getting more of what the majority of the culture is asking for.
Until we "stop" feeding the insanity we'll keep getting what we have been getting, thus continuing the cycle. Just look back over history and take a look at the great thinkers and spiritual, religious and political leaders who have been assassinated in both their teachings and their lives. PR firms shower us with half truths and exaggerations and we immediately accept and alter our perceptions based on negative publicity and smear campaigns.
THE PATH TO PURPOSE CAN BE A CHALLENGE - YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Trust me, I know the challenge of aligning with my purpose and truth. It can be a lonely place until others either catch up and stop spouting negative energy and criticism, or until YOU DECIDE, with absolute conviction, faith, trust and commitment, to follow your heart and soul - in spite of--and even in conflict with--the people around you; people from whom you still desire acceptance, approval and support.
When Brent and I made the decision to publish "The Power of Our Way" along with our music and the sharing of our spiritual philosophies, only a handful of people in our lives fully supported us in that vision, and honestly only one of them came to the table without a bunch of fear laden bits of advice or "practical" warnings.
"People don't care about their soul purpose."
You'll be seen as freaks if you talk about your healings, miracles, blessings or spiritual knowledge."
"Positive stuff doesn't sell, you'll never be able to make a living."
"If you are not selling get rich quick strategies, or marketing to people's fears, you'll never get anywhere."
"Idealists get eaten alive in this world, don't expect too much."
CHOOSING THE HIGH ROAD WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
These are just some of the cynical, potentially destructive messages we received as we fully accepted our purpose and mission on the planet. It was not easy. It does not happen overnight. It is lonely and sometimes scary to align with your purpose. On some level, we needed to make our world VERY SMALL and became incredibly selective in what we fed our own natural fears and insecurities in our relationships, our conversations, and in ourselves. And, we need be careful to not judge the judgers but instead simply separate ourselves from the need for their approval; "spitting out the seeds and keeping the hay" so we can utilize constructive, helpful criticism in our own alignment process without letting it get the best of us.
CHANGING THE COLLECTIVE STATUS QUO
One year, 10,000 members, a book, several flash movies and a dozen CD's, workshops and retreats later, we have literally only scratched the surface with our vision and potential.
it takes time, energy, commitment and patience during the emergence of a new creation so that change becomes permanent as opposed to the next thing in a series of temporary fads and fixes in our co-creative processes. With The Secret, for example, lots of nay sayers are putting an immense amount of energy into trying to destroy the possibility of the message taking hold beyond a fad based reaction so that people can fully align to receive the abundance that is waiting to be received. Yes, it can be disheartening to know that we have not all moved beyond the unconscious and conscious tendency to immediately go to what is wrong rather than focusing on the higher essence of a message.
As a collective, it is time to radically change the status quo and begin to demand something different.
Yes, there are gaps in the "popular" teachings.
Yes, there is a bigger picture. But, most people are so socialized to only seek quick fixes that those of us doing spiritual work are forced to make a decision; align with the mainstream's demands and surface interests (what they think they want or have been brainwashed to think is important), less be faced with the possibility that no one will stop long enough to even pay attention, let alone buy in to the wisdom or gifts that are being shared.
THE CO-CREATION OF A NEW REALITY
As Ghalil, my good friend and co-creator of Awakening to Purpose says, it is time to "Turn away from the World's Wisdom."
Collectively we can radically alter the current reality we are living in. There are countless examples of successfully altering consciousness thus altering our reality. Until we can forgive the past and see all things as gifts in our lives, "The Secret" will be a dream that remains out of reach. Reality is changing constantly, sometimes without our awareness, and is a great source of hope for global change - one mind at a time, one soul at a time, one life at a time. However we choose, the domino effect is unavoidable.
All we need to do is to be more conscious - more aware of "why" we think the way we think and "how" we originally developed these patterns - some that work and some that don't.
ALIGNMENT IS THE KEY TO FREEDOM
Immediate and effortless manifestations are usually an indication of alignment in thought, belief, emotion and behavior. If The Secret isn't working in a particular area of your life, do an alignment check and see what is out of whack. Alignment is key and I hope you take advantage of the resources we are currently offering, including the three free audios you can replay at http://www.powerofmyway.com/mastermining.html
Lots of lives have changed - healing and transformation has occurred, relationships have flourished and businesses have grown.
Successes are experienced because alignment has occurred. People are raising and expanding their conscious awareness of their DIVINE PURPOSE and in how their thinking, believing, feeling and behaviors all join together for a powerful source of co-creation, fulfillment, healing, abundance and joy.
And, it all starts in your inner world - a place many are just plained scared to investigate, let alone change.
Namasté, Anita
p.s. Reconnect with your Divinity at www.divinitymovie.com and pass along an empowering message!
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