Thank you so much for the response and feedback that you send me - it is always gratefully received and much appreciated and it also helps me to know if I am "on track" with what you would like to receive. Your thoughts are always welcome. As you know I intended to make this Part 2 of The Secret (TS). I feel that there is still so much to say on this topic. The very word "secret" evokes feelings of ... only for an exclusive few, hidden, mysterious ... but of course none of these descriptions apply to the book (or DVD) of "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (which I will once again refer to in this E-Report as TS).

Rhonda Byrne apparently mentioned in an interview that her inspiration for creating TS was her exposure to The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D Wattles and the works of another New Thought author, William Walker Atkinson.  You can google both these people to read more about them.  Wallace D Wattles' book focuses on financial wealth.  Is this the only true secret?  Is wealth all that matters?  Wattles' daughter said that it would not have helped them for her father to keep his "secret knowledge" under wraps as he conducted public talks on this topic which for some time brought in their only income

In Karen Kelly's book "The Secret of 'The Secret' ", (TS of TS) there is a quote by Graham Greene: There's something about a secret that makes people want to believe.  In this E-Report I want to focus a bit more on TS of TS ... yes, it's that analyst in me at work again.

Something New in Healing

A lot of you will know that I use the word psycho-neuro-immunology and it is one of the aspects of using meditation that really attracted me, especially as most of you know that my son Andrew used this to manage his asthma and then to save his leg from amputation.  Now I have learned a new word from 'TS of TS' and that is psycho-endo-neuro-immunology ... or PENI which is "... an understanding of how the mind, the endocrine system, the nervous system and immune system all interact, and is crucial in helping people conquer the stress in their lives and stay healthy" according to psychologist Oakley Ray.  With a well-functioning PENI system, pathogens which can lie dormant within all of us can live in the body in equilibrium, with only a very few people developing symptoms and illness.

Karen Kelly appears to have backed up what she says, with facts and says in her book:  "Another significant, and hopeful, development in the mind-body connection to healing is in the area of guided imagery (GI). The Secret (TS) would call this visualization - picture what you want to happen and it will.  GI is a deep-relaxation technique that is now widely accepted by traditional health-care professionals. ... strong evidence suggests there is a connection between what we imagine and how we heal. Many credible controlled studies have shown GI to be effective in reducing recovery time after surgery, making cancer treatment easier to take, lessening anxiety, relieving arthritis, and reducing blood pressure."

Well as most of you will know, Guided Imagery is the back-bone to what I teach and the first step in achieving meditation.

For The Highest Good of all Concerned

Something very important which I think TS doesn't quite capture is that our goals and aspirations should always be "for the highest good of all concerned". Sometimes what we ask for and what we desire may not be for our highest good and neither may it be for the highest good of others concerned, or who may be affected. What we ask for may have an effect on other people and just may not be exactly the right things for us at any given time. All this needs to be considered.

Karen Kelly puts forward a few "secrets" of her own ... as follows:
1. Accept your flaws and don't dwell on them
2. Adopt an optimistic outlook, which is different from positive thinking
3. Be a realist - don't live through your fantasies
4. Show some gratitude for what you have
5. Don't prejudge people or situations
6. Observe what's going on around you
7. Manifest reasonable dreams by acting on them
8. Relax
9. Maintain social ties
10. Care - for yourself and others
11. Laugh

Yes, all these are good thoughts (or "secrets") - in fact they are quite wonderful and indeed crucial. Acceptance of not only ourselves but of all events (including the "bad" ones) that have happened in our lives is of extreme importance and I have spoken about this, particularly in regard to Addressing Trauma, Grief and Loss, in my FREE E-Book of the same name. If you haven't yet seen this and would like to receive it then just reply and put in the subject line - Please send Free E Book. Before being able to move on in our lives after a trauma or loss, acceptance is often the very first step. I have a special Pack which I offer at seminars and will now offer in this E-Report, which I call the "Moving On Pack" and it consists of 2 actual CDs, 3 meditations and includes PP6 - Forgiveness, PP16-Acceptance and Letting Go and PP17-Unconditional Love.

Regarding Gratitude, some time ago I wrote an E-Report about expressing gratitude.

Worry and The Buddhist Monks

I found it interesting to read in TS of TS that a "Newsweek" science writer, Sharon Begley, has written about "a series of experiments with Buddhists who have spent over 10,000 hours meditating, that shows it might be possible to train the brain to better experience emotions like compassion."? Begley has found that ... "In some mental disorders such as depression, stroke, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), something has gone wrong in the brain. People who have suffered stroke can expand the healthy areas of their brains in order to take on new jobs previously done by areas of the brain that were damaged. In the case of OCD, the biggest problem has been excessive worry; always thinking something has gone horribly wrong. Experiments at UCLA have shown that mindfulness meditation (which I call Active Meditation) can decrease activity in the brain's worry circuit in the same way that SSR (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressa nts [like Prozac] do."

Daily I receive a quote from "Loving Each Day" and I recently read:
The most effective 'meditation' I have ever seen is worrying.
Unfortunately, it goes the wrong way, and I have not seen too many changes made because of worrying.
But I know that holding a positive focus on what you want and taking continual small steps towards it is the way to bring it about.
- John-Roger

Of course "worrying" is not something I would label as a "meditation" however if it is something that we focus on over and over again then that is what JR means in this context.  If you're interested in checking out "Loving Each Day" go to: http://www.msia.org/msia.qry?ID=46 

Positives and Negatives

A positive outlook can be an antidote to misery and negative thinking will only make a bad situation worse. Those who manage to handle life's traumas are usually more optimistic with a purpose or meaning to their life ... all we need to do by way of example, is to consider prisoners of war we've heard about who used visualisation and positive focus to not only last the distance of their imprisonment, but to achieve great things upon their release. Here's a story - during the 2nd World War there was an Aussie soldier in Changi Prison Camp (for 4 years) who played off a golf handicap of zero before the war. As often as possible he visualised playing golf around the Manly golf course. The day after he arrived home, still barely able to have the strength to walk, he played golf at the Manly course and yes, you've guessed it - he played to his zero handicap.

Kelly believes that there is a strong Christian tone to TS and yet she says that TS does not give credit to the Bible, Kelly believes that this is with a view in mind of not alienating those who are not attracted by Christianity. Kelly quotes a USA Southern Baptist minister and lawyer who says ... "The Secret sets up millions of gullible, yet innocent, people for disappointment, disillusionment, and guilt".

I think this really means that there is "danger" and risk of disappointment if we sit back and do nothing ourselves but simply "rely" on thinking something and expecting it to land in our lap. We can certainly be influential in what happens to us in life and yes, visualising (using guided imagery) is a first step along the chain of steps to succeeding in achieving our goals in life.

Concluding Comments

You will recall from the E-Report The Secret Part 1 that I almost didn't continue with Karen Kelly's book "TS of TS" as I initially felt that it was going to be just about retribution. However, I am glad that I continued reading it as she has done quite a bit of investigation herself and I think she gives a fair evaluation and commentary on Rhonda Byrne's book TS.

Karen Kelly refutes TS quite a bit and validly so in some parts. It was interesting to read and perhaps get the "balance" after reading both these books. So, condensing and distilling into a "bottom line" for me ... there is no magic pill so to speak, of thinking something and it will happen, although maintaining positive thoughts can be of enormous benefit. Active meditation, and having a step by step goal plan and vision of what we want in our life, is extremely important.Always remember that we set the sails of life with goals and we go where we direct ourselves ...... with goals.

Karen Kelly also quotes what Dr. Albert Schweitzer said: Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man, for remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.

We are not an island unto ourselves and once again I want to say that this is one of the reasons why I always say "For the Highest good of all concerned" when setting goals or visualising something I want - and particularly when it is a competitive goal. I do believe we are all connected and the ripple effect can be far reaching.

So know that just thinking about things does very little. The secret is that we all possess the real secret and that is the ability to tap into our own powerful subconscious mind - that's what I show how to do.

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