The Secret – In Rational Terms

When I first watched the Secret I was thrilled about the potential of what it meant for me.  I was also excited because it was the first program I had seen that had a good explanation of spiritual concepts in language that almost anyone could understand. Lots of people couldn’t wait to get started with the Secret right away. But unfortunately there were also those who couldn’t accept it. There was a barrier between the way they saw the world and what the program was suggesting for them. Quite frankly, there are too many holes and missing pieces in the program that ultimately leave people feeling skeptical about whether it is real at all.

In the first part of the program Bob Proctor talks about people not knowing how electricity works, yet still enjoying the benefits of it. This is the perspective you are expected to take – blind faith. For most rational people this is like nails on a chalkboard. I believe that a more thorough explanation of the core concepts behind the law of attraction really is needed to bring it from a nice idea into the realm of clear understanding.

“When you release your inner blocks to your success you can have, do, or be anything you want”. This is a quote from Joe Vitale, teacher in the Secret and author of The Missing Secret. Joe is talking about non-conscious intent, something that is just barely touched on in the Secret DVD. It should have been focused on more, though, because it really is the key to understanding how the law of attraction actually works.

You might be wondering what the difference between the conscious and non-conscious mind is. John Assaraf describes the conscious mind as, “The part of the brain that thinks and reasons, and the part through which you exercise free-will”. It is also the part of the mind that is used for focus, concentration and learning. On the other hand, the non-conscious mind is in charge of emotions, symbolic representations, and everything else unrelated to conscious activity. Research shows that the conscious brain accounts for a mere 4% of perceptions and behavior, while the non-conscious mind accounts for 96%. Our conscious mind is basically just the tip of the iceberg, and to really use the law of attraction you absolutely have to enlist the help of the non-conscious. It all comes from there.

Most of us identify with our conscious mind and see the non-conscious activity as a mysterious part of ourselves or even worse disidentify entirely and feel like it controls us. We are all of it, though. Assaraf says, “Because we so strongly tend to identify with our conscious thoughts, we naturally tend to think of our conscious thoughts as me. We assume that our conscious mind is calling the shots and it is at the controls and in charge of what we actually do. But that is simply not true”.

“Setting goals is a conscious exercise. Achieving goals is a spiritual and non-conscious exercise”. This is from Assaraf’s book The Answer. He goes on to say, “To achieve our goals…we need to become experts at using both parts of our brain”. So how exactly do we “use both parts of our brain”?

Essentially its a two step process. Step one is to get really clear about what you want. Think about it, write it down, and send it out into the universe. That takes care of your conscious mind. Then you need to work with your non-conscious mind to make sure it is aligned with that purpose you consciously set. If not, you will find a million ways to sabotage and hold yourself back from your goal. No matter how hard you consciously want something, if you don’t have your non-conscious mind on board it won’t manifest.

Replacing limiting and negative beliefs with empowering positive beliefs is the surest way to get what you want. In fact, it is probably the single most important key to making the law of attraction work. You can do this many ways, and the more the better really.

One way to get in touch with and affect your non-conscious mind is to meditate. During the commentary for the Secret, Rhonda Byrne mentions in passing that almost all the teachers on the DVD meditate. I started meditating in 2006 and it has been absolutely mind-blowing for my development. It’s quite simple and there are tons of resources on the web for learning any one of the many techniques. In fact, I recently wrote an introduction to the practice of meditation with an accompanying 10 minute audio timer. I recommend starting there.

Another way to affect the non-conscious mind is through visualization. Visualization is talked about in the Secret but I want to emphasize it again. By taking time every day to enter an abundant state of mind you train your mind to recognize and identify with the energetic frequency of that feeling. Then when something in your awareness pops up that matches that feeling you will know it is in line with your goals. It will feel right. So take 15 minutes a day, close your eyes and experience all the things you want. Be there and feel it fully.

Incantations are also an absolutely amazing tool for programming your non-conscious mind. An incantation is a phrase that you repeat to yourself out loud while moving your body and engaging your mind. Tony Robbins uses “All the wealth I need is within me now” as an incantation during exercise. If done with enough intensity and focus it will change your state immediately. In The Power to Shape Your Destiny Tony says the following about incantations:
“Knowing better will not make you better. Speak that which you wish to become. You can not get rid of a (negative) incantation. You must replace it with a positive one, one that consistently causes you to feel, experience and be your best. What you consistently speak you will become, what you consistently speak you will create, and what you consistently speak you will find in experience…What you say over and over again is the absolute programming device of the software and the hardware of your nervous system. So you’ve got to do it more consciously. The more powerful the emotional state you are in when you do your incantation the more powerful the conditioning is…emotional intensity is everything”.

As with all these tools, you have to really do it. I have read so many books and listened to so many programs where I did so passively. The moment I decided to start engaging with the material in a conscious, associated and active way was the moment the information moved from a cognitive understanding to an experiential understanding. It all made sense on a deep level and became valuable beyond description. It makes all the difference.

The Secret is simply amazing. When you understand that intent and attraction rule success, you can move toward whatever you want with absolute passion and purpose. The key is becoming a master of both parts of your brain, your conscious and non-conscious. Then you can use your brain to its full potential by programming your non-conscious to be in alignment with your conscious goals. Then you truly can have, do, and be anything you want.