Am I the only one who becomes demoralized by positive thinking, precisely because if it worked it would mean that I have some metaphysical effect on reality? That can be a scary notion, when you really stop and think about it, that we have the power to reshape the world around us just by thinking about it.

Having been down in some dark pits of despair, I can honestly say that "The Secret" had a profound effect on my life. I don't mean in a subtle way. It was more black and white: one day I was depressed, poor, and lonely, and then I saw The Secret and started acting more on instinct, the way humans might have thousands of years ago before they were institutionalized. My theory about how it works is the same as when you look at geese flying in the sky in January and it’s 10 degrees outside, and wonder how in the heck they are not starving or freezing to death. “The secret” is that they are simply acting in harmony with the reality that brought them into existence, not fighting it every step of the way or dwelling on how things “should be”. Modern concepts like scarcity, power, success, money, etc are insidious forms of mind control because they frame reality in a way that traps people. Children don’t normally suffer from maladies related to these things, because they are oblivious to them.

Now how come adults dwell on them so much? I think it’s because they are so busy working hard to earn a living or provide for their children that they put subsistence at the top of their priorities. But life’s a game, we’re all going to croak at some point anyway. The truth is that whichever culture you are in, at whatever level of affluence, has a strong incentive to keep you right where you’re at. You could stop trying, go on autopilot and spend your time daydreaming, and.. nothing happens. You just continue on your present course. You start noticing how outside forces step in and solve problems that you used to be micromanaging. You start to notice coincidences and miracles, or even the emotional fabric that holds society together, the way that people rely on each other. And your subconscious comes to the forefront and brings opportunities to your attention that you couldn’t see before, so you can act on them and create tangible changes in your life. To me, that’s the most powerful lesson from The Secret. To let go, realize it’s all just details, and experience the act of living without constantly trying to validate it. Then the natural laws come back into play and thriving is a likely outcome.

Anyway, that’s the tip of the iceberg, if anyone is feeling a little off lately, or having a sense that its “me against the world” or “me against god” or “everything is hanging by a thread”, basically anything along those lines, I highly recommend looking into group meditation. I started with something called The Reconnection, or Reconnective Healing, because a good friend of mine is into it. It’s just a tool among many to quiet the mind and let the subconscious come forward.

I still think it’s kind of eerie when I think about something and the universe changes to reflect my interests, but I don’t necessarily think it’s supernatural. It could have something to do with the way we store memories or some physical process like that. I’m not really sure, I just know that the effect is real because as soon as I started trying it, there were too many unexplained coincidences to happen by chance. I think it’s loosely related to how faiths become prevalent. It’s not due to the specifics of any religion, but the notion that belief in itself creates outcomes. It’s sad and ironic that so often, capable people write it off because science has no explanation for it (yet). But would knowing the mathematics behind it, say like psychology or economics, help us incorporate it more readily? I’m not so sure. If you took any kid and told him or her that the universe is governed by strict laws, there is no deeper meaning to any of it, or even free will, then depression is a likely outcome. I know it happened to me, and I wore my depression like some kind of badge of honor, like I had it all figured out, when I really didn’t. I still feel depressed from time to time like anyone else, but I actually use that as a signal now that I’m holding on too tightly, and take some time for myself to stare at the stars, or go into the wilderness, or do something that’s not governed by man-made laws, and then MIRACULOUSLY, I feel better.