Self Improvement Resources

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The Secret

The Secret

The Secret (Extended Edition) - DVD (Oct 1, 2006) by Starring: Rhonda Byrne, Paul Harrington Director: Drew Heriot

About the Author

One spring day towards the end of 2004, Rhonda Byrne discovered a secret - the secret laws and principles of the universe. Almost immediately her life was transformed, as she began to put into practice what she had learned. It seemed to Rhonda that almost no-one knew the things that she had discovered, even though the concepts could be found in almost every religion and field of human endeavor throughout history. And in that moment her greatest wish, and mission, was to share this knowledge with the world.

Rhonda began to see that her entire life - everything she had ever done - had been quietly and steadily moving her towards the most perfect place for her to be able to fulfill her wish. And to fulfill it on the grandest possible scale! She had gone from working as a producer at the Nine Network in Melbourne, Australia, to starting her own television production company, Prime Time Productions, in 1994. And after ten years of creating internationally successful shows, Rhonda was ready to take Prime Time Productions in a direction that fulfilled people rather than just entertained them.

On that spring day in 2004, when a small, old book called The Science of Getting Rich was put into her hands, and Rhonda's whole life suddenly pulled into spectacular focus, she knew exactly what her mission was to become. She was going to take this knowledge to the world. She was going to make a movie to carry joy to every corner of the Earth. And so the great journey that was The Secret began.

In early 2005, when The Secret was simply a name and a (momentous) vision, Prime Time Productions was made up of Rhonda, Producer Paul Harrington, and Director Drew Heriot. For eight weeks Rhonda intensively taught everything she had learned about The Secret to Paul and Drew.

One of Rhonda's initial intentions for the creation of the show was that Prime Time Productions would use The Secret to make The Secret... that it would be an effortless, joyful journey as they attracted everything and everyone that was needed to fulfill the vision. And right when the company was ready to begin production, as if by magic, the perfect people to make The Secret began to appear.

The day Rhonda arrived in the United States, she had not one interview set up but she had the firm intention that the teachers for the film would appear. And in a matter of seven weeks, the team arrived and filmed a total of fifty-two 'teachers' of The Secret. Wherever the team went, more and more amazing teachers would emerge--great writers, leaders, philosophers, doctors, and scientists. These teachers created the foundation for The Secret.

Today The Secret is the Prime Time benchmark, and the company's firm intention is to produce work that inspires, uplifts, and, most importantly, continues bringing joy to billions.

Amazon.com

Not really a movie or documentary, The Secret is more of a video seminar, a presentation featuring a series of authors, philosophers, doctors, quantum physicists, entrepreneurs, and spiritual practitioners expounding on the powers of The Secret (probably the most well-known of the presenters is Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles). What is The Secret, exactly? "That principle can be summed up in three simple words: thoughts become things," proclaims writer Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe. Put it another way, it’s The Power of Positive Thinking and how it can be applied to attracting more money, better health, and relationships; in short, happiness. (There is a rundown of topics on the DVD Chapters menu).

Most of the material here is given in a straightforward manner, with the presenters simply talking into the camera to address the audience directly, which is good because it avoids the trap of pretense. On the other hand, the quick edits between presenters (would it hurt to let them say more than one sentence at a time?) don't help because it reduces many of their points to palatable sound bites and aphorisms. To many viewers, this may make the program come across as a series of nice ideas not rooted in reality. Plus it's somewhat spurious to claim that The Secret was well understood and practiced by specific individuals like Plato or Shakespeare (it's well known that some of the historical figures noted didn't exactly live happy or even prosperous lives, despite their achievements). But still, the primary message is one of positivity and hope for everyone. So what to make of it? In the end, programs like this generally find an audience that is open to the message, and many will probably find it to be a source of inspiration. Others will approach it with a good deal of skepticism or dismiss it as another way of marketing happiness the masses. It simply won’t resonate with everyone, but if it resonates with you, you're likely to enjoy it and get a lot out of it. Those looking for more on The Secret might want to check out the companion book by Rhonda Byrne. --Daniel Vancini

Product Description

The new "extended edition" of this ground-breaking feature length movie presentation reveals The Great Secret of the universe. It has been passed throughout the ages, traveling through centuries... to reach you. This is The Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted. In this astonishing program are ALL the resources you will ever need to understand and live The Secret. For the first time in history, the world's leading scientists, authors, and philosophers will reveal The Secret that utterly transformed the lives of every person who ever knew it... Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein. Now YOU will know The Secret. And it can change your life forever.

From Publishers Weekly

Supporters will hail this New Age self-help book on the law of attraction as a groundbreaking and life-changing work, finding validation in its thesis that one's positive thoughts are powerful magnets that attract wealth, health, happiness... and did we mention wealth? Detractors will be appalled by this as well as when the book argues that fleeting negative thoughts are powerful enough to create terminal illness, poverty and even widespread disasters. The audio version of this controversial book, read by Byrne and contributing authors such as John Gray and Neale Donald Walsch, is uneven at best. The cheesy, obvious sound effects will not do much to add intellectual respectability to a work that has been widely denounced as pseudoscience. Mostly, this audio is hampered by its confusing and disjointed organization—techniques that worked reasonably well in the print version and the movie, such as cutting every few seconds from one enthusiastic expert to another, make for a choppy and somewhat bewildering listening experience. The gentle cadences of Rhonda Byrne's breathy, Aussie-infused voice are certainly the best part of the audio, but her material is scarce and provides mostly connective tissue between the testimonials.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

Audio seems like the natural medium for Rhonda Byrne's blockbuster motivational book on positive thought for positive results. The Australian TV producer leads listeners through her exposition on the secret of life. Quoting from an array of New Age gurus and interpreting more traditional teachers as well, the program integrates sound bites from the various authors, with actors taking many of the roles. Neale Donald Walsh, Denis Waitley, Jack Canfield, and dozens of others make cameo comments throughout the program. Byrne's slightly whispery, intimate voice calling the listener to believe alternates with hyped "you-can-do-it" encouragement from speakers like Bob Proctor. Kudos goes to the production team that integrated the dozens of speakers--some just introducing who will speak next. The resulting audio keeps a rapid pace hop-skipping along to support Byrne's premise of the essential "Law of Attraction." R.F.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Description

Fragments of a great secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of the secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you'll learn how to use the secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

From the Publisher

The Secret is truly the most outstanding book to date that we have published. I am so pleased that Rhonda Byrne was able to bring together this life-changing information so masterfully. She first did it for the movie of the same name that she produced, which has been a phenomenon in its own right. She then added, in only ones month's time, incredible additional content to the transcript of the film that brings even more clarity to the reader. This is absolutely a book that people from all walks of life can read and then "get" the concept of The Secret. It allows them to then take it and apply it to their lives. Children, teenagers and adults of all ages are reporting miraculous stories of positive changes as a result. Rhonda Byrne is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of The Secret and to making sure that now, finally, the whole world knows about The Secret. You will want to share this with your friends and family and they will be grateful for it. This book gives hope for what many have been waiting for-- a shift in the way the world thinks. Its a very exciting time that we are living in, and I as well as everyone at Beyond Words and Atria Books are grateful to be a part of it.

--Cynthia Black, President, Beyond Words Publishing

References

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Kindle Edition - Mar 2, 2007) - Kindle Book

The Secret (Extended Edition) by Rhonda Byrne, Paul Harrington, Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, and Neale Donald Walsch (DVD - Oct 1, 2006)

The Secret Gratitude Book by Rhonda Byrne (Hardcover - Nov 1, 2007)

The Secret [UNABRIDGED CD] (Audiobook) by Rhonda Byrne (Audio CD - 2007)Unabridged

The Secret (Extended Edition) Plus The Secret Audio Book (CD) by Rhonda Byrne, Bob Proctor, Drew Heriot, and James Ray (Audio CD - 2006)

The Secret: 2008 Day-to-Day Calendar (Day... by LLC Andrews McMeel Publishing

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