James Arthur Ray has been arrested on charges of manslaughter for the deaths of three participants in a sweat lodge ceremony he held last year.

From the Daily Mail:

...(One of the victim's) mother, Ginny, said yesterday that she would have liked to believe the deaths were accidental - but that everything that Ray did during the 'Spiritual Warrior' event almost made them inevitable.

'One of the things that horrifies me after we found out Kirby had died was to see how he behaved, to really yield his true character,' she said.

'This wasn't just a horrible accident. His own conviction in his omnipotence and his own seduction of money and wealth made him delusional.'

by Kathleen McGowan
Author of The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord's Prayer

Instant Manifestation. Unlimited Abundance. Ask, Believe, Receive!

So many books, DVDs and other programs have promised all of these things over the last few years. Millions of people have flocked to the teachings of "The Law of Attraction" in hopes of transforming their lives and attracting love, money and fulfillment.

And millions of people are also finding that these programs don't work. And if they do work, the effects are temporary. Why? Because the lessons of these programs are incomplete and totally out of order. They skip the important steps, the elements of personal and spiritual transformation which are necessary to provide a solid foundation to build upon.

Most "Law of Attraction" techniques do not require any kind of accountability and therefore they do not work.

If you've followed my website for any length of time, you'll know I've been a pretty outspoken critic of The Secret for a while. This has been a tough road to hoe, because coming out against The Secret at the height of its popularity is in some respects a bad marketing move for someone in the personal development business. But I have my personal integrity, and I won't back something that I think is not true at best and harmful at worst.

by Stephanie Brail

I've been a fan of Wayne Dyer's for a while but have not read much of his recent stuff. I used to have an audio course of his on cassette tape that I really enjoyed. He's a kind soul with a gentle energy that has always been appealing.

So I was very interested to read one of his more recent books, The Power of Intention, given to me by a friend of mine. Wayne looks older than what I remember - and I have to say, I actually kind of miss his old cheesy 70s mustache. But, he's evolved with the times, and he's gotten trendy. He's also unfortunately gotten on the “Law of Attraction” bandwagon, which is evidenced by his homage to Esther and Jerry Hicks in the back of the book.

After The Secret came out, I started a small website called "The Intention Project" to focus on using the power of intention to help make the world a better place. (One of my big beefs with The Secret was the use of spiritual power and mental focus to obtain personal wealth and "stuff" rather than helping others).

I have recently expanded this website to allow visitors to post their own intentions to share with others. Then, the website community can focus on putting positive energy on these intentions. The intentions can be for yourself, your loved ones, or the world.

This is a free service. I hope you will stop by and share an intention or some positive energy. It's also a good place to put those New Year's Resolutions out to the world!

http://www.intentionproject.com

As a coach, it was not easy to take a contrary view to The Secret at the height of its popularity. Certainly, I could have ridden the wave of excitement over the "Law of Attraction," marketed myself as a "Law of Attraction Coach," and maybe made more money while the hype was at its peak.

I knew, however, that The Secret was part of an unhealthy American obsession with materialism over substance, of obsessive goal-setting over spiritual peace. I saw that Americans were getting over their heads in debt and getting wrapped up in the idea that they could have it all, if they just thought positively enough.

A dear friend of mine, who was the first person to introduce me to The Secret, became a subprime mortgage broker when the The Secret hit. He made a lot of money selling mortgages to people who probably couldn't afford them. Now our economy is on the verge of collapse due to these types of mortgages.

by Stephanie Brail

Does The Secret work better for affluent white people?

Here's an interesting quote I caught randomly on a blog. The article is mostly about PETA, but I was struck by this sentence at the end about the organization:

To me, they’re just another group based on the same hype that sustains New Age religion: they make privileged people feel good about their privileges, and relieve them of the difficult responsibility of making the world better for other human beings AND for animals.

I immediately thought of The Secret and the Law of Attraction, and how those memes do precisely what this author accuses: "They make privileged people feel good about their privileges, and relieve them of the difficult responsibility of making the world better for other human beings..."

I would not be surprised if this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we'll be seeing more exposes of the self-proclaimed gurus of "The Secret" over the next few years. Here, an Australian television reporter provides a shocking investigation into claims by David Schirmer's students that he has bilked them out of tens of thousands of Australian dollars that he was supposed to invest on their behalf. (Watch Part Three to see a shifty-looking Bob Proctor appearing guilty by association.)

The Secret's David Schirmer Exposed - Part One

The Secret's David Schirmer Exposed - Part Two

by Stephanie Brail

Since I do hypnosis and energy healing, you would think that I would be a huge fan of the Law of Attraction, right? After all, I often use hypnosis to help people visualize positive outcomes for themselves, often with very powerful results. I use affirmations in EFT and in my healing music. Aren't all these things the Law of Attraction?

No. Visualization, energy work, and affirmations are not the same thing as the “Law of Attraction.”

First, let's distinguish what these things actually are. Visualization is a personal development technique. Energy work, or energy healing, is a method of spiritual healing. Affirmations are another method of personal development. All of these things are tools.

The Philosophy is Not the Tool

The Law of Attraction is not a tool. It is a philosophy. It is a philosophy that states, “whatever you focus on, you will attract into your life.”

It was inevitable. Some fine, funny folks have put together a parody of The Secret. It's called...

Shhhhh!