Some say it is foolish, others call it dangerous, others proclaim that it is an eternal wisdom that will transform your life. What about the secret?

The astonishing popularity of the movie “The Secret” (DVD and best-selling book), featured on Oprah, Newsweek, Larry King, etc., has attracted a huge number of fans and critics. Some claim that the film is nothing more than a century-old New Age container of snake oil. Others say it’s an illusion that only benefits a handful of people who make money selling it. Other critics go so far as to say that the ideas promoted by the film are downright dangerous if people really believe them.

The controversy is not limited to the 2006 film produced by Australian Rhonda Byrn. Certain authorities in the fields of theology and psychology say that the Law of Attraction itself only offers false hope to the desperate and underprivileged.

What is the truth? Is the Law of Attraction real or exaggerated? How do you know if you are wasting time and money studying this supposed universal law? Here’s how to find out the truth, once and for all.

Panties in a twist

First, a quick review of the whirlwind of activity around this topic. The different arguments include:

• Some disagree that the Secret promotes the use of the Law of Attraction primarily for material wealth. They feel that this universal principle should be used for more spiritual endeavors, like becoming a better person, creating world peace, and so on.
• There are others (including contributors to the original version of The Secret) who say the movie was not complete. Joe Vitale, James Ray, and even Esther Hicks are quoted as saying that the movie didn’t tell the whole story about how deliberate creation works.
• Still other critics say that the whole concept of creating reality according to your thoughts is delusion, and that the people who sell these things prey on the desperation of others who want a quick and easy solution to life’s inevitable challenges.

A handful of Law of Attraction experts publicly responded to these arguments, which appear to stoke a larger fire rather than extinguish it. Secret contributor Michael Beckwith says “mediocrity attacks excellence,” which is why so many fans rage over today’s hottest topic.

Although this may be a hot topic these days, it is certainly not new. These manifesting principles have been around for eons, dating back to roughly 300 BC. C. in the mysterious Emerald Table. That in itself prompts some factions that disagree with movie producers presenting the Law of Attraction as a “secret.”

This way to the truth

Some people were followers, practitioners, or simply, in general, intrigued by the principles of deliberate creation, they felt the wind blow their candles away with the public controversies that were aired over the Secret. Where once they were optimistic and enthusiastic about the possibility of deliberately speaking out, some found themselves muttering “I knew it was too good to be true” after reading the negative press about the film.

Regardless of what you previously felt or did not feel about this topic, if you have not yet found your way to the truth, here is some advice. It is not outside of you.

You won’t find the answer in a Larry King interview or online blog. The truth has nothing to do with your husband’s opinion, your neighbor’s experience, or your coach’s worth of two cents.

The only way we can know “what is that” is by checking with ourselves. The truth is not “out there”; rather it is integrated. Each of us has an internal guidance system designed to ensure that we have ongoing access to what is right for each of us. Whether you call it your higher self, God self, intuition or anything else, it is in all of us.

You can hear that truth when you listen to it. The beauty of this is that when you recognize that nothing outside of you knows what is best for you, you are no longer subject to the whims, fantasies, complaints, ramblings, and ravings of others.

Most of us, however, learned early on to ignore our inner guidance, in favor of being accepted, making amends, getting along, or simply surviving. We became adept at discounting and even rejecting what our instincts tell us, and we became dependent on looking for the facts outside of ourselves.

Sometimes you will hear your authentic guidance through cues from your emotions; others feel it most strongly in the physical body’s reactions, such as goose bumps to the “chill of truth” or a sinking stomach. Once you have practiced listening to (or experiencing) your inner guidance, you will never again be left wondering what is valid and what is not.

Say who?

I could be wrong? Absolutely. Don’t take my word for it; Try it yourself.

Our private truth speaks to us all the time, pointing “this way” or “that way.” All we have to do is listen to you and we have the best experts on board for life.

Listen to it. Play with it. Practice listening to it. See where it takes you. Don’t trust someone else to tell you what it is. YOU know what it is like.

When other people come up with different answers, it empowers them. It does not mean that you are wrong or that you should question yourself. Your truth does not change, no matter how many others have contrary opinions.

Sometimes external triggers are great opportunities for us to acknowledge or confirm what is true for us. For example, when a tarot card reader told me that my difficult marriage would stand the test of time, my stomach flipped and I knew in that moment that I wanted a divorce. But it was an external trigger that helped me hear that truth within me.

The moment my real estate agent showed me a cute little brick house in Rose Park, my heart soared and my inner self screamed “Yes!” Even while my girlfriend was by my side saying “I can’t believe we’re looking at this place.”

When my trainer, who for three months tried to convince me to make peace with my lucrative corporate job, finally threw her hands up in the air and said, “You have to quit if you hate it so much,” my heart beat again and all inner arrows point to “YES!” It was the external trigger that helped me hear that loud and clear internal signal.

Choose for yourself

As for the complaints that the Secret movie has an overly materialistic approach, everyone has a right to have a say. Personally, I believe that the film reaches a good point of access to the general population, who may very well apply the knowledge gained from the Secret to eventually achieve its higher purpose.

And indeed, the movie includes happy relationships as well as physical health, so it’s not just about bicycles, jewelry, and sports cars.

Regarding whether the Law of Attraction works, I think healthy skeptics would agree that thoughts at least affect the way we experience reality; that attitude makes the difference. However, my personal experience is that thoughts are much more powerful than that. Again, see for yourself.

As for those who argue that the demonstration does not work, I think they themselves prove that it does. Because when we say “this doesn’t work”, we can also manifest it to make it sound true.

Bottom line: trust yourself to know the truth. You know more than you think.