Alexander Riegel
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The Secret about "The Secret"

6/10/2018

 
    Spiritual fads come and go (Yes, you guess rightly.  This is a critical take on “The Secret.”  Hopefully that does not mean I will lose its fans before the end of this post.).  “The Secret” is one such fad whose time should have come and gone by now, at least according to my calculation.  But over and over again I see it reappear in all its New Age glory.
    "The Secret" is a supposed spiritual principle that holds that focused concentration on certain desired goals (e.g., objects, situations, wealth) will help one realize said goals.  To buttress the claim, advocates of "The Secret" invoke its many famous historical adherents, such as Plato, Newton, and Emerson.  Setting aside this logical fallacy of the argument from authority, which in and of itself ought to raise suspicion about "The Secret," let us focus on the principle itself. 
    "The Secret" begs the question, Why would someone on a spiritual journey desire certain goals (a Tesla, a bigger house), situations (a particular job, a particular relationship), or wealth (nuff said).  The answer proponents of "The Secret" give is why not?!  Well, here's the rub, folks... "The Secret" is a form of New Age prosperity preaching with which the soul holds no kin.
    The aim of the spiritual journey is a journey from ego identification to self-realization (Who am I, really?)   Any spiritual journey that does not bring one to this realization is an ego masquerade  Given that, the problem with "The Secret" is easily identified, namely it promises egoic treasures which not only serve the ego alone, they are impediments on the path to self-realization  Despite the argument, the ego may pose the acquisition of objects can aid the journey or are fruits to be harvested along the way, "The Secret" does not lead to self-realization.  It is a New Age dead end.
    Rather than spend one's time in meditation with focused concentration on desired objects, one ought to spend one's valuable practice time relinquishing such desires in order to come closer to one's true self, which is already perfected.  That is, one's true self neither needs nor desires the objects of egoic satisfaction that "The Secret" promises.  Once this is realized, one realizes that a better use of a spiritual practice is the cultivation of the Divine qualities inherent in one's true self:  compassion, forgiveness...unconditional love, etc.  A spiritual life that bears these fruits will quickly realize the secret of the "The Secret."

    If this critique does not convince you of the secret of  "The Secret," consider swami Puppetji's take on the matter...


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