Oprah Show Reviews
I’m a Forty-Something, Female Hypnotist In Southern California. I Will Review Oprah’s Shows – Not All, Just The Ones That Impress Me Most.Archive for February, 2007
Oprah’s The Secret Follow Up
I don’t know how many of you watched Oprah’s follow up show to The Secret…only two of the original panel guests returned to answer questions, and in my opinion they were the two who understood the Secret the least of all the original panel guests. I’m talking about James Arthur Ray(Arthur of the Science of Success) hereafter referred to as JAR, and the REV. Dr. Michael Beckwith (Founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center) hereafter referred to as REV. I have to say I was probably most impressed by original panel member Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul guy) – hey Jack, how could you be too busy to make Oprah’s show?
Anyway, Jar and Rev, while I’m sure they’re intelligent, evolved men, managed to take a fascinating premise and make it wholly drab and mundane. They pretty much kept repeating the same two commands - visualize it and act on it. Well DUH…I was not inspired.
JAR was really goofy. Some lady was having financial problems and his advice to her was – seriously, don’t get disgusted – his advice was “save, invest, cut back spending.” That’s about as life-changing as some guy saying , “Hey I invented the magic bullet for weight loss!” So Oprah has him on her show, and he says, “YOU CAN BE THIN – all you have to do is eat less, and get more exercise.” Wooo – big news there. Yeah right. (Well, I guess that’s about what Dr. Phil did in his weight loss book, eh. What a scam THAT was.)
Don’t get me wrong – I loved the first show on the secret. In fact, Jack had me get into action about changing my outlooks, and attitudes. Jack said things that were right on! He didn’t say, “Save, Invest, Cut back spending.” He would’ve said, or rather I believe he would’ve said, “Change your vision of your relationship with money, and financial circumstances…make your vision so bright and colorful that you get emotional about it. Once we get emotional inside of new perceptions, we start recreating our thought patterns, and redefining what WE ARE LIKE….” Remember what all they said? THE SECRET is the Law of Attraction. The number one rule of that law is that LIKE attracts LIKE.
Awesome, ain’t it!
One last comment I have to Jar and Rev is that they should refrain from trying to define what GOD is in 100 words or less, and expect other people to convert. Apparently another lady was concerned that the secret may conflict with her Christianity. The Rev came up with some generic interpretation of who God is, and what He expects from us. She didn’t look convinced. Nor was I. His belief had nothing to do with hers. I would tell her, “Lady, God has given us many tools to live by. The law of attraction is a tool, just as genetics is a tool, as is astronomy, gardening, sewing, prayer, money, and everything else good.”
Here is one of several letters I got about my last “Secret” Blog – and my response:
Thank you so much for this explanation Gina.
I saw bits and pieces on CNN last night and have been searching the web for more information. I am unemployed at the moment and can’t afford to purchase the DVD
so am trying to find answers without that purchase (although once I find a job I
will buy it). I have been very discouraged in my job search and I now feel that I can go at it in a positive frame of mind instead of one that was becoming increasingly depressed. I am even applying today for a job that I don’t really have all of the background for, but know without a doubt that I can do. I had decided not to apply, but……here I go!
Thanks again,
(Name withheld by me.)
Dear (NWBM),
Thanks for commenting on my blog. I am glad I was able to provide further explanation of The Secret for you. It’s pretty powerful stuff, the Law of Attraction. Good luck on your job quest. Remember to envision yourself doing the kind of work you enjoy, have contribution for, and respect for, and fill those visions with a shower of green big money bills – and remember to say to yourself, “Yes, I CAN do this!” And believe that with all your soul!
And get detailed and colorful about the vision. Remember what Oprah’s Secret guests said, Everyone knows what they Don’t want, YOU have to envision what you DO want. Step up the way you’ve been seeing things. Remember what I said about the car? If you generally picture a used run-of-the-mill Toyota, start picturing brand new, leather-smelling Jaguars instead. Make it a new habit.
So Envision yourself perfectly groomed (maybe a new hair cut, or hair color?), perfectly prepared, positively motivated to stun your employers with a motivated on-fire attitude, performance that screams recognition…get sensual about it – hear the office sounds, feel in your heart the detailed praise you get from work well done, smell the flowers on your desk, taste the healthy brown bag lunch you packed…become emotional about it. Emotion means passion and passionate people make life happen. Don’t just do it once – make a habit of it, a new, clearer way of seeing things.
May the Force be with you!
Hypnotically yours,
Gina Fox
That’s all I have to say about this for now. But hey dear Oprah, if you have another follow up, get Jack Canfield, please!
“When you marooned me on that god-forsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate: I’m Captain Jack Sparrow.” – Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Oprah’s SECRET
A couple of days ago I was watching Oprah’s show on De-cluttering when she aired a clip for yesterdays show which was on: Learning The Secret to a great life. For example: making more money! Better health. Marrying the man of your dreams! “When I heard that (about the secret) it brought tears to my eyes,” Oprah said.Well, I was bummed because I wanted desperately to know the secret but would have to be at work when it aired. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I would catch a cold that very night and choose to stay home from work the next day so as to not spread my germs…and so I got to watch the show after all.
Turns out The Secret is a book/movie all about the Law of Attraction. This is what I got from the show, plus a little of my own understanding of it:
Like attracts Like.
Here is how we create what we are Like. Thoughts create pictures in our minds. What I mean is, if you think the word CAR, you don’t actually see the letters C-A-R, Rather you see a Volvo, or VW Bug, or Camaro, or whatever.
For example: Think of the word Balloon. Close your eyes and think about a balloon. What color is it? What’s the setting – a park? Circus? Birthday party? Is it laying around, floating above in the air, attached to a string? You make a unique picture from what I’d make, or your friends would make. You have a distinct and different reality from mine or anyone else’s.
Depending on your associations with various word they will have varying weights of emotion attached to it. Thoughts create emotion – or feelings. Check for any emotions that come up for the following words:
1. Rich.
2. Poor.
3. Alcoholic.
4. Healthy.
5. Crippled.
6. Loser.
7. Fat.
8. Idiot.
9. Svelte.
10. Mercedes.
11. Millionaire.
12. High Tech.
Note which words carry a higher emotional effect than the others. Did 1,4,9,10,11,12 turn you on more than the other ones gave you a knot-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach reaction, or did the negative ones scare you more than the others turned you on? It’s important to know what drives you. In other words are you attracted towards prosperity? Or are you attracted away from poverty?
When left to run amuck, feelings are more powerful than words. It’s important to know because it’s your unconscious that runs the show where feelings are concerned. In fact, we call the unconscious “the feeling mind.” Your unconscious doesn’t process negatives very well – so you may have answered ” Away from poverty” and what the unconscious hears is: “Blah, Blah Poverty.” So the picture it paints for the universe to MATCH (Like Attracts Like) is poverty.
The good news is that feelings are alter-able. We change feelings like we change into comfortable shoes at the end of the day. For example, you’re driving down the road, feeling up and positive…then suddenly THAT song comes on – you know the one…the one that you related to when you broke up with your last boyfriend. And vaboom – those uplifted spirits come crashing down, and you can barely drive because the tears are flooding your eyes. Then you get home and have a big piece of triple-layer chocolate cake, and you start feeling better, stronger, powerful again, for the moment. Then when you lay your fork down you start feeling GUILT. Why did I eat that piece of cake? I’ll never lose this extra forty pounds…Arrgh.
We can be the cause for our feelings to change. Our feelings aren’t necessarily doomed to be ruled by external stimuli. We can start by changing the internal chat we have with ourselves – the self-chats that are painting pictures of monsters holding us captive under swampy black lagoons – like that guy who dumped me may have been sent to me so I’d get to know myself in a more positive way? Could it be that I attracted insecure, self-serving morons because I was focused on the insecure, self-serving moron in myself. Now, I want to focus on my newfound strength, generosity, and nurturing qualities and attract guys who match that.
It was a good show. I have friends who have seen The Secret, and they highly recommend it.
I’ll tell you my own secret as to how the Law of Attraction has become evident in my own life, in an interesting way. I have written a novel called, BODY FLUIDS (soon to be published) which deals with people who have HIV. The book took me 5 years to complete with research and editing and all. All my life I have been healthy – no illness. Then I write this book, and mysteriously develop an immune system problem myself. It isn’t HIV, but it’s a weakened immune system, just the same. In fact, every three weeks I have to go in and have IVIG infusions in order to support my immune function Are you thinking what I’m thinking??? I put it out there passionately and it’s come back around. And to think my next book was going to be about Vampires!! Not anymore. Now, I’m going to write a novel about a VERY beautiful, VERY very wealthy, extremely healthy girl who always gets what she wants, and everyone loves her!
Luv ya,
Gina
