The Secret and The Law of Attraction

Some people were introduced to the law of attraction on the docudrama "The Secret" which gained widespread attention on Oprah. It is also the title of a book. The founder of Rapid Eye Technology has been teaching Rapid Eye Techs about the law of attraction, what she calls "cause and effect" for nearly two decades. I believe in the law of attraction because it is found in the scriptures as the law of the harvest, among other things. The concerns I have with the law of attraction focus on how it is applied by some people.

Many people have felt there was something not quite right with the law of attraction as put forth on "The Secret." The movie never openly admitted that God is in control, yet I know He is, so I didn't let that element bother me. In my mind, the law of attraction has always been about God. Hearing that the law of attraction existed felt right to me because I approached it in the context of faith. I understand that faith requires believing things are possible before we see results or things manifesting in our lives. We put faith into practice by visualizing our goal's reality before it manifest in our physical world.

God tells us that He works this way. The Pearl of Great Price says, "For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth." (Moses 3:5) The Book of Mormon teaches us, "And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad." (Ether 12:19)

We see things with our 'eye of faith' so that they can come true. I really enjoy Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley's comments on a quote that expresses this principle. He wrote, "I am impressed with Commander William Robert Anderson, the man who took the submarine Nautilus under the North Pole from the waters of the Pacific to the waters of the Atlantic. In his wallet he carried a tattered card with these words: 'I believe I am always divinely guided. I believe I will always take the right road. I believe that God will always make a way, even when there appears to be no way.' I share his convictions, for I too, believe that God will always make a way; even when there appears to be no way." (Gordon B. Hinckley,Standing for Something, NY: Times Books, 2000, 111). Joseph Smith taught in the Lectures on Faith that faith is a principle of power and that faith works by words. "The Secret" alluded to all of that.

Besides viewing "The Secret" from a perspective of faith, there were other reasons its message appealled to me. It reminded me of the law of the harvest in the Bible. My friend Michael Fitzgerald has written a wonderful book, The Law of Attraction and the Bible, which reads like a comfortable visit with him while seated on a sofa. I was privileged to get a sneak preview of his book. This is the review I wrote back to him:

"When I first read about the Law of Attraction, I was angry. I felt there was no way I had anything to do with attracting the trials I was dealing with in my life. However, as I read more about what I called the 'supposed' law, my entire perception changed. I was no longer a victim of circumstances! I started to believe I really had power to change my thoughts and my situation.

"I discovered that even just reading about the Law of Attraction gave me hope and lifted the depression I experienced. That was years ago. When I saw "The Secret" I was already convinced it had true principles because they had worked in my own life. For me, the Law of Attraction is all about faith in God."

"Michael Fitzgerald's book uncovers a bigger secret. He reveals aspects of the Law of Attraction in Jesus' own words over and over again. You'll be amazed at his insight! The Law of Attraction and the Bible is a must read for skeptics and believers alike. I read this book so fast that I can hardly wait to go back and reread a hard copy. I will underline passages, write in the margins, and dog ear the pages, like I do all the good books I read! This one is terrific!"

Michael, who happens to be a bishop, will surprise you at how many times he found this law evident in the Bible. Being a visual learner, I liked how he was illustrating his thoughts with arrows, picturing for the reader what hewas talking about. I think of his mirror image arrows pushing toward each other everytime I find an additional verse elsewhere that holds yet another example of the law of attraction. Michael Fitzgerald's book is available at http://bible-law-of-attraction.blogspot.com/ He has since come out with a second book for members of the church titled The Law of Attraction and the Scriptures.

There was something else in the movie "The Secret" that seemed familiar. I realized it was a verse in the Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 88:40, which says, "For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own..." Isn't that verse saying that what we 'put out there' will come back to us?

Brigham Young shared an example that ties in here. "I have proven this many a time . . . I have plenty on hand, and shall have plenty, if I keep giving it away. More than two hundred persons eat from my provisions every day, besides my family and those who work for me. I intend to keep doing so, that my bread may hold out, for if I do not I shall come short. Do you believe that principle? I know it is true, because I have proven it so many times." (Journal of Discourses, Vol 3, 332-333.)

Attaining dreams requires more than just thoughts, it requires action. It seems "The Secret" focused more on the thoughts end of the process. I accept what is truth from the movie and enjoy that portion. I loved the movie's section on health, but not the focus on acquiring worldly goods.

I'll admit to a few concerns about how people will apply this movie's teachings. In my opinion, consciously applying the Law of Attraction is a wise thing, provided we are founded on the rock of Christ and his gospel. Like almost anything, The Secret 's teachings can be harmful or beneficial, depending on how they are used. There is the possibility of going overboard in our zeal for the movie and forgetting Who is really in charge of this world . God is in charge! Of concern are those who may attempt to' attract' a carefree life without pain or growing experiences and then send their backlash against God when things don't go as they had planned.

Having everything in life turn out as we wish is NOT what we came to experience earth life for! Many of us find that the low points of our lives are where we grow the most spiritually. Carol Tuttle teaches that the law of attraction doesnt' guarantee life without soul stretching experiences, but that those types of experiences will no longer undo us as they may have done in the past. I have experienced that those words are true.

Richard Eyre brings up some other valid concerns about the movie. He wrote several columns on Meridian Magazine’s online site which he says expose "The Dangerous Secret" for the deception in it. He sure ruffled some feather's when he first called The Secret "dangerous." Hear him out and you may learn from his perception, as I did. Here is a "Reader's Digest" version of the main points in his articles. We are deceived if our goals are any of the "Three Deceivers": control over others, more and more ownership of worldly goods, and independence from God. The pursuit of these three draw us away from God and His ways. Instead, we should choose to be: grateful for the things God owns and allows us to use, grateful for what God controls and grateful for our dependence on Him. Richard Eyre said the Three Deceivers were good economic and political goals, but bad spiritual goals. I appreciated his honesty in finally saying at the end of his series of articles that it was the implied goals portrayed on "The Secret" that troubled him, not the plans for how to get them.

Gratitude, like Eyre says, is hugely important. I have learned to seek to develop gratitude even for the trying times I go through. Doug Mendenhall's books are great at teaching to have gratitude in ALL things. Doug writes that when you begin expressing gratitude out loud for the hardest trials you've ever had to face, it may feel akin to chewing on concrete. I am so glad I pushed through that miserable-in-the-mouth feeling and kept at it anyhow. What a difference this has made in my life!

The intent of people's hearts on the movie "The Secret" differentiated them for me. Those who seemed only intent on using the law of attraction for monetary gain or prideful pursuits left a sour taste in my mouth. While those whose hearts were in the right place and applied the law of attraction to bless others as well as themselves had admirable motives. They didn't seem based on selfish intent. It was quite the opposite, and they inspired me.

Lastly, the reader may enjoy what I found written by scholars. It is an LDS perspective on the law of attraction, otherwise known as karma or the law of the harvest. The scholars quotes were found in Religions of the World- A Latter-day Saint View (by Palmer, Choi, Keller and Toronto, pp 21, 27-28. ) This is an institute manual I picked up at the Distribution Center. It perfectly describes the issues I had with how people interpret the law of attraction. I took the liberty of adding emphasis to my favorite parts. I hope you enjoy it at least half as much as I did. The quotes follow:

Hinduism

"The law of karma is a system of cause and effect whereby people's actions determine the circumstances of their lives. . . . Social and economic status, according to this view, are not matters of random fortune, or the whim of the gods, but consequences of personal actions. It is the Christian "law of the harvest" vigorously applied. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Gal. 6:7) The effects of karma are inescapable...."

Latter-day Saint Reflections:

"Latter-day Saints recognize both the law of the harvest and the intercessory power of a merciful God. " [Latter-day Saints] stand in between the Oriental faiths and much of the Christian world. . . . For us, the immutable law of infinite consequences sustains nature and critically influences [humanity]. . . . [We] believe in a cosmic law of justice, that cause and effect are intrinsic to the human condition- that [people] are blessed or disadvantaged according to their willingness to comply with divine law." (Spencer Palmer, BYU Devotional, July 25, 1978)

"The salience of law in the eternal progression of mankind is clearly pointed out in the Doctrine and Covenants: "There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation s of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated." (D&C 130:20-21)

"It appears from this and other revelations that the Latter-day Saint "law of the harvest is more specific and personal it its cause- and-effect relationships than the karma of Eastern philosophy. The violation of specific commandments brings specific punishments just as obedience to a law entitles an individual to a personal blessing. Hindu karma, on the other hand, tends to respond to evil deeds indirectly. . . . Christian scriptures teach that the "law of the harvest" is not the sole cause of earthly misfortune. Besides the classic tale of Job, there is this account from the book of John:

"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. "(John 9:1-3)

"Hence, Christian theology provides for the possibility that God may afflict people ( or allow them to be afflicted) with poverty, sickness and sorrow in this world for reasons other than their own unrighteousness. Moroni writes that the Lord "gives unto men weakness that they may be humble" (Ether 12:27), not necessarily as a punishment for sin. Christ told his followers that, as a result of their faith and righteousness, "[in] the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). A corollary idea is that sinners sometimes find themselves among favorable worldly circumstances. Job, a 'perfect and upright' man (Job1:1) in the midst of terrible afflictions given him as a test, lamented to his friends,

"Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. . . . Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." (Job 21:7-9, 14)

"The Eastern doctrine of karma does not recognize this phenomenon of deferred justice. The typical Hindu insights would reject the unfairness of forcing a person who led a righteous premortal existence, as Job undoubtedly did, to suffer undeserved torments in mortality. In the Eastern view, a person's karma- no the intervention of deity- is the principal factor in determining his happiness in life.

"The flexibility of the Latter-day Saint "law of the harvest" stems from its subjection to the will of God. It is not the law that deals with mankind in Latter-day Saint theology, but the Lawgiver acting in accordance with the law. The Lord metes out the blessings and the afflictions, and he may choose to withhold either as a test of faith. The Eastern law of karma can operate independent of deity. A person gets in life what he is fated to get. Not even a god can make it otherwise."

(End of quotes)

We are blessed a multitude of times over to have the gospel- a standard to judge truth and error against! Sincerely, Tamara

Rapid Eye Technology (RET) explained by the founder

Rapid Eye Technology by Ranae Johnson:

Let’s assume that your family of origin had some unresolved issues (don’t they all?). Within that family dynamic, you may have gotten the message "you’re not good enough" or "you have to take care of me." So you go through life feeling that, indeed, you really aren’t good enough, or that, in order to be loved, you have to take care of everyone else’s needs. Once you’ve taken on this huge burden, it can lead to your own addictive process, co-dependency, or just plain burnout. Such dynamics are generally accepted as part of the human condition. We may even recognize how our own life is compromised by such dynamics, yet find it difficult to break the patterns.

My own experience has taught me that to live our lives and make our decisions free from such negative conditioning requires education and new skills. I have dedicated my personal and professional life to this process. Rapid Eye Technology was developed over a period of 30 years and is a combination of inspired information and deep study. I began using parts of this method with my autistic son and with other individuals who were not being adequately served by the established medical community. I had some stunning results. For instance, my son is now an adult living in his own apartment. He holds down a job and is living a fairly normal life. This is quite amazing when you consider the usual alternative for an autistic person.

Rapid Eye Technology releases emotional stress and provides education and skills for increasing quality of life. RET is a process that uses eye movement. The rapid eye process simulates rapid eye movement with an eye-directing device moving in a neural-linguistic pattern in front of the person’s eyes. This stimulates various sensory data. (For instance, when we look up, we’re accessing memory; when we look down, we’re accessing feelings.) We go into these various places with this pattern to find the source of the stress. As the person blinks, information stored in the body is accessed and released. The eye-directing device helps to access different parts of the mind, such as auditory, emotional, and visual memories. It also helps the right and left hemispheres of the brain work together to process the problem and to release the stress and trapped trauma.

 Rapid Eye Technology is used for all types of stress-related conditions. The wonderful thing about RET is that it’s a short term therapy program, and it’s safe. Many people ask, is there a danger of releasing too rapidly? In my experience, the answer is no. We all have excellent survival systems. We developed these systems in order to protect ourselves, and our psyche will only allow us to release old trapped trauma as fast as we are able to assimilate the changes. Most people release trauma in layers.

Rapid Eye is a holistic model. First, we do a quick review of the person’s medical, psychological, and family history. Then we introduce a neurological integration exercise that begins brain access to stored preverbal memory. This integration allows the client to process, more naturally, all emotions–past, present and future. From there, we facilitate the process of exploring/releasing negative core beliefs through the use of various aids. In all of this, we create a very nurturing and safe place for processing. The miracle of Rapid Eye Technology is that a person does not have to relive every traumatic event in order to release the attendant stress. Clients are conscious and always have control in their sessions. Technicians are well-trained and are there not to control but to facilitate. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or advise.

We begin by seeing the client whole and healed (the master plan). We hold them in that space during their session. The body (through RET and Life Skills) soon catches up to that place of being whole and healed. We always end each session with positive reframes. Whatever is released is replaced with positive information. Other techniques are used during personalized sessions to address the issue of falling back into old patterns.

We also offer free classes on Life Skills, which is the cognitive portion of Rapid Eye Technology. These classes help the client practice and anchor new techniques rather than reverting to the "same old stuff." With Rapid Eye, the individual is able to make his or her own connections between the trauma and the subsequent events in life. For example, we have worked with people who reported they were rape or incest victims. We have seen them move from self-hatred and self-degradation to loving themselves and making positive choices. We have also worked with individuals who felt trapped in their lives in other ways. After one or two sessions they have been able to create dramatically positive situations for themselves. Others who were severely ill have become healthy and functional after releasing their emotional stress. Still other individuals have reported cessation of panic attacks, combativeness and the whole realm of self-defeating behaviors to which we are prone.

 I know there’s a lot of people who say, "Well, I don’t really believe in these ‘miraculous’ quick healing things." In many cases, I agree. The journey for some people is longer than for others. But seeing what Rapid Eye Technology has done for people over the last 15 years is phenomenal. Bottom line, it is working to change. For me, the biggest "miracle" happens when a client goes home, able to move through life with grace and joy. They see the connection between their actions and what happens. Just getting through the day loving yourself and loving the world is the miracle many would choose for their lives if they could. RET can help that to happen.

Ranae Johnson, Ph.D., is the founder of this model of Rapid Eye. Rapid Eye Technology, Inc. is an educational, scientific organization dedicated to the enhancement of the worth, dignity, potential and uniqueness of each individual and, thus, to the service of all. It embodies unconditional love through awakening, creating gratitude, honor and universal community. Questions are welcome: 503-399-1181; or toll free 1-888-399-1181.

Our bodies know how to heal

Our bodies are intelligent and know how to heal. Spencer W. Kimball said:

"Our ills are usually of our own begetting. They must be corrected by ourselves. Man is the master of his destiny, be it good or bad. Man has the inherent capacity to heal himself physically. A doctor may cleanse a wound, sew it up, bandage it well, but the natural power of the body must do the healing. Likewise, a healing process in the spirit and mind must come from within the self will. Others may help to cauterize the wound, suture it, and provide a clean proper environment for the healing, but the body, with the aid of the Spirit, must heal itself."

I know our body’s natural intelligence is designed to heal. When we clear our Energy we support this happening. Candace Pert wrote, "Now that I know my body has wisdom, this calls for a new kind of responsibility on my part. I can no longer act like a dumb machine and wait to be fixed by the mechanic- otherwise known as the doctor. Now I have the potential to consciously intervene in the system myself, to take an active role in my own healing. I’m both more powerful and more responsible in creating the health I experience than the dumb machine I used to think I was." (Molecules of Emotion p 18-20)

Alma 46:40 teaches another important truth about disease: "And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land- but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases to which men were subject by the nature of the climate" Please notice that it said God had prepared the plants and roots to remove the CAUSE of diseases. That is far and above just removing symptoms.

Besides the obvious reference to vegetables and herbs, could that include today's pure herbal supplements? Beyond that, it occurred to me that Essential Oils come from both the verse's mentioned "plants and roots." Pure Essential oils can really make a difference! Healing Oils of the Bible by David Stewart, Ph.D. explains that monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in essential oils bypass the blood brain barrier and deprogram information from cellular memory to help achieve healing. Pure Essential Oils, Flower Essences and homeopathics are all under the umbrella of Energy medicine. God’s creations do share their intelligent design! (See Vibrational Medicine by Dr.Richard Gerber.)

Unresolved emotions can lead to disease

When we store unresolved negative emotions in our body, it doesn’t just disappear, it leads to disease. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." ( Prov 17:22) "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." (Prov13:12) A plethora of authors, including medical doctors, teach that we store unresolved negative emotions in our body which over time can lead to disease

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Grudges, if left to fester, can become serious maladies. Like a painful ailment they can absorb all of our time and attention." (Nov. 2007 Ensign) Candace Pert wrote, "I’ve come to believe that virtually all illness, if not psychosomatic in foundation, has a definite psychosomatic component."( Molecules of Emotion, p 141) A wise Stake President wrote I Make Me Sick- a Latter Day Saint Perspective on Managing Stress ( manuscript available from Dr.Bradley Wilde’s office 100 TaBi Drive, Worland, WY 82401 307-347-4224.) Releasing unresolved emotions gives relief to one’s mind as well as one’s physical body! Do you want to feel better? Rid yourself of every bad feeling toward yourself and others.

Are examples of this found in scripture? Certainly. Alma15:3 says "And also Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his wickedness, for he had supposed that Alma and Amulek were no more; and he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins, did harrow up his mind until it did become exceedingly sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat." Zeezrom was sick and it was caused by tribulation in his mind- a classic case of unresolved thoughts and emotions. Lehi and Sariah "having suffered much grief because of their children... were brought down, yea, even upon their sick beds. Because of their grief and much sorrow, and the iniquity of my brethren, they were brought near even to be carried out of this time to meet their God." (1 Nephi 18:17-18) Numbers chapter 5 tells of a trial women believed to be immoral were put through in O.T. times. Those who were guilty developed the physical reaction of a swollen belly and rotting thigh. No wonder it is called Mind/Body Medicine!

What did God say to a depressed Enoch when he saw in vision the world’s population dying in the flood and "refused to be comforted"? God said "lift up your heart and be glad." That’s God’s advice to us, also. Lift up your heart and be glad. Something good can come of what feels like a "flood" in your life. Carry on! Have faith! Your thoughts WILL affect your life and health! Choose to let them be positive! If you keep thinking the way you’ve always thought, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. Sometimes my daughter said she either needed to see her Rapid Eye Technician who was trained in several modalities or to go straight to the hospital emergency room. My daughter’s quick turn around after sessions with that RET tech were astonishing to her NAMI support group.

Another personal example is my husband who lost his hearing overnight in one ear over a decade ago. He spent a whole week in the hospital where doctors could not find any physical reason for his hearing loss. They were barking up the wrong tree! Human beings are clearly not only bodies. I praise God that there are health practitioners who practice from the viewpoint of "Person = Body + Mind + Spirit" instead of the absurdly reductionist "Person = Body." After my husband visited just a few minutes with a gifted Cranio-Sacral therapist, she sensed an energy block on his ear. She found there were layers of emotional issues blocking his hearing. She helped him clear them and during his 1 hour session he began to be able to hear again in that ear! What a great blessing! It is another example of Candace Pert’s findings that strong emotions not processed thoroughly are stored at the cellular level (Molecules of Emotion pg 290)

Similar findings are reported by hundreds who say strong emotions affect our bodies creating energy imbalances that can lead to illness if unaddressed. I continue to hear of miracles that occur in these therapists’ offices involving a whole array of illnesses. Many times they are able to help patients that the medical community have no answers for.

Emotions Affect Our Health

We store emotions in our physical body. Emotion is an invisible form of energy! Sometimes we say the tension in a room is so strong we could cut it with a knife. That is because emotions have frequencies. These frequencies affect the cells of the body. Bruce R. McConkie’s entry for the "Book of Life" in Mormon Doctrine (p 97) validates the belief in storing emotion. "

In a real though figurative sense, the book of life is the record of the acts of men as such record is written in their own bodies. It is the record engraven on the very bones, sinews, and flesh of the mortal body. That is, every thought, word, and deed has an affect on the human body; all these leave their marks, marks which can be read by Him who is Eternal as easily as the words in a book can be read....The Great Judge will then read the record of the book of their lives; the account of their obedience or disobedience will be written in their bodies."

I believe that Jesus mentions storing emotion in the body when he says things like my bowels are filled with compassion and mercy, or let thy bowels be full of charity (See also 1 Colossians 3:12) Eccles 7:9 says, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." Disease has an emotional root because we store emotion in the soft tissues, especially the major organs. Certain frequencies are attracted to certain parts in our body.

It is interesting that in studies of heart transplant recipients, significant numbers experience new personality characteristics which correspond to the heart donor’s likes, habits, & tendencies. Other thought -provoking instances are those labeled with multiple personality disorder who only exhibit a certain medical condition when they are a specific personality. The minute they switch to another personality, the physical condition is immediately resolved! As an example, one case involved blood test levels of diabetes disappearing instantly only to re-emerge later when that personality reappeared. An internationally known neuroscientist says, " The body is the unconscious mind! Repressed traumas caused by overwhelming emotion can be stored in a body part, thereafter affecting our ability to feel that part or even move it." (Candace Pert, Molecules of Emotion, p 141)