Imagination Is Everything

The Chinese food was getting cold. We were stuck waiting at our second red light when I exclaimed, "we will get green lights all the way home!" My husband laughed and said something like "sure, whatever" and resumed his driving. I kept the thought and truly believed that we would sail all the way home without interruption. Six green lights later we were laughing! I know most people would say that was just pure luck or an insignificant test of my new special powers, but I know different.

When I was assigned the task to read and review The Secret by Rhonda Byrne I was decidedly pessimistic; basically I had a negative attitude toward the book. Noting the flip-flopping support from some media reviews, and even with the thumbs up from the well respected Oprah, I was prepared to expose the book as a bunch of bunk. My approach was quite interesting if you know that the book is about the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking. Clearly I had some things to learn!


The author started out with the idea to bring the secret of The Secret to the world. Byrne compiles an impressive group of past and present thinkers who follow The Secret teachings. The book includes personal accounts of success, healing and personal growth using the 3 step Creative Process of Ask, Believe and Receive. The book quotes Matthew 21:22,

"Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive".

The Secret teaches many things but the main idea is that everything starts out with a thought and the universal mind is listening. There are plenty of creative analogies describing us as magnets and being able to write what we want on our blackboard of life. To condense it in all in one phrase; our positive or negative thoughts are delivered back to us. Buddha says,

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought".

The book includes several good quotes from great thinkers and avatars. To support the Visualize to Materialize power the author uses a quote from Albert Einstein which declares,

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions".

There is some concerns with the books, mainly with the claims to cures from the healing mind. The book does present some stories in support of the "laughter is the best medicine" approach to healing but it also gives modern medicine its proper place in curing disease. The author is careful to include a disclaimer at the start of the book. There is little mention of the topic of mental illness and the book neglects to explain why bad things happen to the innocent. For instance, a child can be born with a fatal disease so how do the infants thoughts come into play? I would also like to note the uncomfortable feeling I experienced with the frequent use of the word perfect used to describe our attainable aspirations. Maybe we are not supposed to take it that literally.

I would recommend this book for anyone who might be questioning their purpose on the earth or just in search of a good self help book for a change. I’m going to go as far to say that there is something in The Secret for everyone. It just depends on how receptive you are to the new way of thinking and open to a different level of awareness. The teachings of The Secret should speak to everyone in some way. Actually, the book will speak to you personally with the capitalization of the word 'You' throughout.

I have a few suggestions on how to go about reading this book. Make sure you have a quiet space to read in order to give the book your full attention. Read the biographies for the contributors before you get started. Once you start the book be ready to take notes. If you get any of those "light bulb moments" then be compelled to write them down. After each section take the time to absorb the teachings and reflect on how it fits into your life. You may feel the need to read the book again or be left wanting more so there are the options to visit the website, see the movie and listen to the audio cd’s. The author recommends opening The Secret at any random page to find answers when seeking guidance.
The one teaching I would like to incorporate into my life is to begin each day listing or reflecting on my blessings. In other words we should live our lives with an attitude of gratitude.

Something to think about...

Wanda Lynne Young

Imagination Is Everything was published in the October '07 issue of Real Women Magazine in the Reader's Corner column.