Healthy Living Books Books

Rating: - The secret is not a secret
The theories contained in this book belong to New Thought movements, which originated in the United States more than one hundred years ago. If you have a Christian background, you would probably find these theories a bit outrageous, and this is quite understandable. My opinion is that if one (believing in the laws of the mind) considers this book simply as a manual, by using also a lot of discernment during the reading, it may give some good ideas. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Rating: - if your looking for humour read this book
As a spiritual book it is awfull. flawed on many levels. I figure it has become some kind of classic because of the humour. I laughed so much. If it was put in the right category I'd give it five stars. laugh out loud.

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Rating: - Open Secret - we already knew if we had just stopped to think about it !!
Once upon a time........ we all lived happily ever after.
The Secret takes us on a psychological thought provoking journey - asking us to suspend our own realities and believe in almost the unbelievable.

The principles (or actual 'secret' itself )do actually make a lot of sense. All it requires - in my opinion - is someone in a reasonably good position in life to make a 'mental shift' and the world could literally be their oyster.

The reason I say 'reasonably good position in life' ? Well the book, disturbingly, states that with the power of the mind one is able to overcome nearly all problems - and glibbly adds statements such as 'using the power of attraction.... poverty attracts poverty' etc and in the process virtually accuses people in 3rd world conditions with no food/water/shelter as being victims of their own making! Serious Medical conditions - which were brought about by attraction ?! - can also be 'cured', apparently, using the Secret.

It really haunted me the fact that it was NOT mentioned the importance of visiting a Doctor following experiencing symptoms, pain and the such likes.( Surely using The Secret ALONGSIDE medicines/ therapies/ treatments should have been advisable ??)

Besides this, I do understand the recognisable basics for a successful life : being grateful for all the good that is in ones's life, utilising the power of positive thinking and focusing on what one wants (as opposed to what one does NOT want) in order to bring positivity and abundance your way.

Anyone with an interest in Magic, Cosmic Ordering, Karma, Qaballah, Buddism, Spiritualism and the power of Faith, will discover another concept that makes you ultimately realise 'The Universe is One' - and we have the ability to change our own realities, if we just reach out, we can have everything we ever wanted.

For a book that wants you to realise you are the centre of your own universe and that you need to look out for Number One to be able to look after everybody else, it falls a bit short on the Common Sense side of things (it disregards your physical well being and the true reality of your present situation - in favour of coaching the mighty powers of the mind).

This book could be the answer to whatever it is you have been looking for. Just please don't use this book as a Bible and live every part of it(unless you are of the opinion you are of the superhuman,invincible variety of course ?! )

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Rating: - The Secret - the worst `book' that I ever read!
The Secret - the worst `book' that I ever read!

This is without doubt the worst 'book' that I ever read: pretentious, bombastic and gratuitous, it hardly makes any sense at all! The author would like us to believe that everything is as we wished and that past, present and future was/is really due to, and down to, ...us! Who we are, what we think and specifically what we want - are all elevated to universal proportions!!! Let's forget the guilt of others and whatever the historical, economic and national realities were or are and stick to what we, as individuals really want! I regret every minute that I wasted reading this `book', this sad mixture of nonsense and wishful thinking. I gladly consigned it to the rubbish bin - the only book that I ever threw away...

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Rating: - Not to be read in isolation, but 4 stars for kickstarting positive thinking
I was given The Secret by a good friend a few months ago, and found many aspects of it very useful. I would like to take this opportunity to say I have applied the ideas to aspects of my life to great success, and anticipate more to come. Positive thinking does generate positive outcomes. However, I must agree with some of the other reviews, in that it is slightly overly simplistic, and if its the only book of its kind that a reader has read, then they will probably focus overly on the idea of "getting what you want", without grasping the (somewhat overshadowed) underlying spiritual message. Which does exist, but you have to look for it. Sadly, the auther has pitched her sale to those out there who are materialistic, and it is not a short cut to spirituality. I would recommend Deepak Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws to be read first, with the Secret simply expanding on the First Law of Attraction. What I found most liberating from The Secret was that it took away any shame attached to being monetarily succesful, which some people who are on a spiritual path tend to feel. It's not about accumulating vast wealth, but generating a greater flow of wealth, the more you give the more you receive, and the idea is that you give out with a generous heart, as if you had no worries about more coming your way (this is the law of attraction, otherwise known as the law of giving and receiving.) On balance, I have to say I found Deepak Chopra's book more helpful, and one aspect of The Secret that I really didn't take to was the intimation that this one law was all that is important. But, useful nonetheless, and a good starting point to get some of a materialistic bent on a more spiritual path.