The Secret De-Mystified

What is The Secret? There is a plethora of prosperity thinking teachers giving lectures, seminars and workshops today. Where did they learn the secret to fabulous wealth? Who or what turned them on to prosperity? Each one has a different answer or a different approach.

I began contemplating this and I realized the secret to prosperity really isn't a secret. Down through the ages it has always been available to those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. Or, in other words an open mind that is ready to receive and utilize the information. There have been numerous books writton on prosperty and to have whatever you want. One of the well-known prosperity thinkers/writers is Catherine Ponder and Napoleon Hill whose books sold in the millions. Now, who do you think they got their information from?

Ask and you will have. I wanted to know and began looking for signposts along the way. I was led to re-read "The Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn," which includes her books, The Game of Life, Your Word is Your Wand, and The Secret Door to Success. Her affirmations are simple and basic - but effective.

Shinn was an amazing woman. She was born in 1871 and lived in New York City. She was an artist and an illustrator of popular children's literature before WWI. After Florence graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, she married Everett Shinn another artist. After 14 years of marriage Everett asked for a divorce leaving Florence devasted. In the first part of the last century divorce was an almost unheard of occurrence. Her biography states that according to Ira Glackens she got religion in her own way.

Very little is know of her life and how she got religion. This woman is only known and remembered through her books. She self-published her first book The Game of Life in 1925. This book became immensely popular leading her to a career of author, lecturer, teacher and created correspondence courses based on her books. She left clues in her books as to where she received her information. She uses the Bible extensively and there will be many who will shut their minds to the wealth of information given. Florence turned the Bible into a metaphysical book and it all makes sense. However there are other clues and she mentions Hermes Trismegistis, an ancient Egyptian teacher and The Kybalion written by Three Initiates, which gives the Laws of the Universe of which is the Law of Attraction. Doesn't that law sound familiar? Apparently Florence absored this and brought forth her wonderful books all based on esoteric teachings taught in the ancient mystery school of Egypt and Persia.

Floence became adept at using affirmative thing, which JZ Knight also adheres to. What is the difference between affirmative thinking and positive thinking? Positive thinking is a term coined by the late Norman Vincent Peale when he wrote his best seller in the 1950's, The Power of Positive Thinking. Peale reviewed Shinn's book The Game of Life and How to Play It and this comments are displayed on the back cover. Possibly Florence was one of Peale's teachers. It can also be said that Catherine Ponder took a leaf out of Shinn's books and ran with it into selling millions of copies of her books.

Returning to positive thinking, I recently heard JZ Knight when she appeared on the Larry King Live Show with four of the participants of The Secret. When Knight was asked by King what she thought of positive thinking, her reply was that she does not subscribe to positive thinking and prefers affirmtive thinking. Why? I also contemplated this and realized that women have been labeled negative and men positive for eons. We are living on the Plane of Opposites and the words negative and positive carry the taint of good and evil. Women have had the reputation of being the source of evil for ages. Therefore, in using the term positive thinking there is a subconscious interpretation for women that says since you aren't male it is unattainable. Affirmative thinking is open-ended, having no attachment to good or bad.

In utilizing the Law of Attraction, our thoughts magnetize to us what we are thinking and also the words we speak. Affirmative Thinking is being the energy, which is neither male nor female and brings to us our desires. Many women do not understand why positive thinking doesn't work for them. By understanding Affirmtive Thinking as given forth in Florence Shinn's books and utilizing the information, one has the key to unlocking the Secret.

According to Shinn, The reasoning mind and personal will causes a short circuit. There is a term used by many people, Let go and let God. In other words, don't try to figure out how it will come. Another affirmation of Shinn's is The Genius within me is released. I now fulfill my destiny.

Having been a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for 20 years, I was taught years ago the power of affirmations along with in-depth teachings on how the brain works, the biology of emotions and quantum physics. Think about the word genius. Drop the 'us' off and we have geni. Each of us are our own geni and we have the brain to create whatever we want. All we have to do is practice over and over and over and over until it becomes.