'The Secret' exposed? Con artist scams money

[armoured saint]

A segment was on Australia's A current Affair yesterday, exposing an instructor of 'The Secret'. This person conned people into investing money in him and his schemes under seminars and instructions using 'Law Of Attraction' and 'The Secret'. What do you people think?

http://www.tradingedge.com.au/

http://www.tradingedge.com.au/About_david.asp

I hope you're able to watch the segment on the link below under 'Top Stories'.

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au/v.htm?t=m164

[thirdwave]

not got time to look at lonks yet....

but just because someone decides to use the LOA to make a scam ...it does not mean the whole thing is.....

I could make a scam seeling cheep TVs that brake after 1 month because they are not built right..... does not mean TVs dont work.

[armoured saint]

not got time to look at lonks yet....

but just because someone decides to use the LOA to make a scam ...it does not mean the whole thing is.....

I could make a scam seeling cheep TVs that brake after 1 month because they are not built right..... does not mean TVs dont work.

Well, were not discussing tv's and that analogy is a little too distorted.

The bottom line is, he's a "The Secret" teacher (instructor) and he has scammed and stolen millons of dollars off people.

[limelady]

And I wonder why the mainstream media has decided to run with this story?

[thirdwave]

Well, were not discussing tv's and that analogy is a little too distorted.

The bottom line is, he's a "The Secret" teacher (instructor) and he has scammed and stolen millons of dollars off people.

ahhh sorry, i thought you where implying the LOA as a whole is a scam... like i said... have not had time to view the links...

[armoured saint]

And I wonder why the mainstream media has decided to run with this story?


Why not? The person has stolen millions of dollars off gullible masses. You're not suggesting that it be swept under the carpet. Surely not.

[armoured saint]

ahhh sorry, i thought you where implying the LOA as a whole is a scam... like i said... have not had time to view the links...

I also didnt mention that there was a segment on ACA a few weeks ago about an author who claimed that her book "Empowered" was plagiarised by the people who gave us 'LOA'. Unfortunately I didnt get this new age writers name.

LOA as a scam? I dont think it was heaven sent or divine. Put it that way.

Some might prefer 'Dianetics'.:)

[tinmenace]

Laws of Attraction is simple quantum thinking, and it works.

I think that maybe the millions that feel scammed or whatever were not LIVING with the right state of mind to attract good things to themselves and would therefor feel scammed. It's not a quick fix for anything. In fact it requires elevated consciousness, and we all know that many are slumbering...

Without having read the article, I'm thinking this is a marketing problem... using the words "guaranteed to work" and so on.

[i_am]

And I wonder why the mainstream media has decided to run with this story?

Yeah,there are con jobs going on daily. Does the mainstream media care? Only when it is something very topical that they can sensationalise for ratings. The only thing they care about is ratings.

[limelady]

Why not? The person has stolen millions of dollars off gullible masses. You're not suggesting that it be swept under the carpet. Surely not.

No certainly not. But its an old trick isn't it? First you build it up (heaps of hype via Oprah, etc etc) then at the height of the frenzy you knock it down leaving every body thinking the whole thing is a crock. Most folks are gullible sheeple and I agree with tinmenace - the LOA works, but most people are just not living with the right state of mind for it to work in their lives anyway.

[tinmenace]

Good point Lime. Just another way for them to deny us the powers of our birthright by attempting to convince us that it doesn't work.

[seanx]

Most folks are gullible sheeple and I agree with tinmenace - the LOA works, but most people are just not living with the right state of mind for it to work in their lives anyway.


Limelady is absolutely right.

As for your main point, armoured saint I don't get it.

So a con artist has decided to fraudantly use this book to con
people- what's the big news in that?

You wil always get those type of people - who's 'get-rich-quick'
mentality will always attract people of a similar mentality.

What's the point you are making?

[armoured saint]

Laws of Attraction is simple quantum thinking, and it works.

I think that maybe the millions that feel scammed or whatever were not LIVING with the right state of mind to attract good things to themselves and would therefor feel scammed. It's not a quick fix for anything. In fact it requires elevated consciousness, and we all know that many are slumbering...

Without having read the article, I'm thinking this is a marketing problem... using the words "guaranteed to work" and so on.

Of course. The con artist used quantum thinking by lying and deceiving people. Fantastic.

You definitely didnt read the links and the video segment. Watching the video might help.

[tinmenace]

More important things to do... thanks anyway.

[seanx]

Of course. The con artist used quantum thinking by lying and deceiving people. Fantastic.

You definitely didnt read the links and the video segment. Watching the video might help

I still don't get your point.

It's like saying 'fire' is bad because it can be used to burn people to
death.

Are you saying the law of attraction is evil because some people can use
it for bad purpose?

[thirdwave]

I have to say this guy was not one of the most insporational speakers on that DVD.... i wonder if he did invest in it to try and discredit it?? ...mm you never know....

you also got to remeber you dont have to be a saint to use the LOA... it has nothing to do with the process of finding a happy place.... just a process....

[armoured saint]

I still don't get your point.

It's like saying 'fire' is bad because it can be used to burn people to
death.

Are you saying the law of attraction is evil because some people can use
it for bad purpose?

No I'm not saying that it's evil. They are your words. I dont even recognise it as fact first off, I see it as a concept, theory. A work in progress. But that's my opinion only. I'm reminded of that african american fellow who said he could manifest UFO's. Does anyone remember him? He had a judaic name I forget.

The fact remains that David Schirmer is a teacher of "The Secret". Now who let this man in their inner sanctum or their little school? Dont forget, the Secret is available at all major retailers and I believe it's a bestseller. That's a sign that society is becoming spiritually empoverished and corrupted and have become 'easy meat' to all sorts of ideaology and schemes.

If you look at the video segment and see him getting asked about "where the money went" , he goes blank. These people aren't evil they've shut out feelings and have built themselves up on another train of thought, a mentality that looks very detached and somehow accomodating to the corrupt system already in place. Swapping a brainwashing program for another brainwash program masked as enlightenment.

Look at how defensive some of you on this thread are. Perhaps you're taking things too literal.

[bigus_dickus]

I'm reminded of that african american fellow who said he could manifest UFO's. Does anyone remember him? He had a judaic name I forget.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brother+yahweh&search=Search

[seanx]

The fact remains that David Schirmer is a teacher of "The Secret". Now who let this man in their inner sanctum or their little school? Dont forget, the Secret is available at all major retailers and I believe it's a bestseller. That's a sign that society is becoming spiritually empoverished and corrupted and have become 'easy meat' to all sorts of ideaology and schemes.

If you look at the video segment and see him getting asked about "where the money went" , he goes blank. These people aren't evil they've shut out feelings and have built themselves up on another train of thought, a mentality that looks very detached and somehow accomodating to the corrupt system already in place. Swapping a brainwashing program for another brainwash program masked as enlightenment.

Look at how defensive some of you on this thread are. Perhaps you're taking things too literal

i understand where you are coming from now.

And it is a good point.

But I think it is fair to point out if you read other threads on this topic,
that a lot of people here- myself included have little time for this book.

It's, in my opinion a marketing con-job - created by people mainly
to make money from it - and not a real genuine desire to explain
the true law of conscious creation.

however for some people - it will introduce them to this idea,
so in that respect it may be useful - but little else.

And what you have brought to our attention seems to confirm
that suspicion.

However, I hope you won't confuse the true law of conscious
creation -and judge it via that book.

Read part 2 of David icke's book Tales of the Time loop for a truer understanding.

Or Gregg Bandon's -The Divine Matrix who looks at the science
behind this idea.

The extraordinary and liberating truth is : Beliefs create your reality
moment-by-moment.

Within this idea lies everyone's true freedom.

[thirdwave]

If you look at the video segment and see him getting asked about "where the money went" , he goes blank. These people aren't evil they've shut out feelings and have built themselves up on another train of thought,


the reason I have highlighted the above is to show how you are generalising.... ...first of all how do you know that all of the people on that DVD let alone who teach stuff of the LOA are as you are describing? .... just because some have made out one of them to be so..... one that does not really put an awful lot across on the DVD anyway....

the point is.... you are using one situation as a way of judging the whole thing.... are you saying all those on the secret DVD are like this guy??

they do not all know each other and have had a big meeting you know.. that's not how it works they are all individuals on their own right who have had knowledge and experience with the "LOA" just because one of them appears to be a bit of an arse hole it does not mean they all are....

infact it is more likely a case of an attempt by some TO discredit the DVD...

I have no doubt all involved thought it was a good pay day.. and I have no problem with that.... if people need someone to take their hand through it then the bottom line is they will never fully grasp it anyway as its something you got to learn your self.... by being open minded and responsive to life.... not be having their hand taken....

there are also many people who teach the LOA free of charge.... its ones choice I guess...




Look at how defensive some of you on this thread are. Perhaps you're taking things too literal

lol, it makes me laugh when people say this....

So please tell me how to disagree with your points with out appearing defensive to you??

should I just agree and not say much or point out where I feel you are wrong and missing a point?

I would add that it is you who have come across this info in your searches and have started this thread.... so it might be you who are looking for defence in some shape or form.

I don't need to look at any more info on it as its in my head already... I am far from being a perfect healthy human being but I am a clued up one and dont feel the need to be defencive for anything im taking on board I can assure you...

;)

[synergy777]

ask yourself this simple question, if someone knows the power of attraction etc, then why does he need you to pay for it, when he can get the money himself. i said the same things to scientologists after reading dianetics, really has critical thought, self esteem left this planet.

spiritual knowledge is not man made and hence no real teacher would charge for it. i am afraid the scam is that:

1: he can't attract money by thought, hence has no power.

2: he knows human wants, 7 deadly sins all within: avarice, lust, greed, vanity etc and gives you a chance to to get them. how many people want power to bring peace, end starvation etc, not many.

most people think looking better, having money, having a dream house, having control of their perfect partner. thats why they want the message, power, for self, not service. and yet this new age, compassion by consumption stuff is funny. you can all it by an array of modern intellectual labels, to make the clones seem more intelligent, they love their ego being praised, call it post modern nihilist, decadance, debauchery, ethical fairtrade consumers, in the end its no different to the lusts, wants of ancient times. the clothes, the materials might have changed, but the ego hasn't. as for soul, only a few really have it. everybody thinks they are anita roddick or bono, lol.

see what people really want but are too sly to admit is power, control, wealth, adoration not spiritual knowledge. why call it spiritual, law of attraction bullshit, be frank, call it wealth creation!

[seanx]

spiritual knowledge is not man made and hence no real teacher would charge for it. i am afraid the scam is that

That is nonsense.

Why shouldn't genuine teachers of this law hold classes and
charge for it?

Behind all this, is your blind acceptance of the old IMPLANTED belief
that money is still bad.

So a 'spiritual teacher' should never ask for this evil thing - 'money'
for his all his effort.

And because of this nonsense belief - the genuine spiritual teacher
lives in poverty.

And yet the same people will pay everybody else from the breadmaker
to the candlestick maker for his bread and candles - but - NEVER,
NEVER pay any money to all the work and effort of the spiritual
teacher.

What complete and UTTER CRAP.

Money is not bad.

It's only bloody energy - yet becuase most people have accepted
the elite's brainwashing of our beliefs about money- they have it all
( with all the power) - and the rest have nothing.

Your reasoning about poverty and being spiritual is pure matrix religious nonsense.

It's a cop -out for not taking responsibilty for your own financial wealth.

[thirdwave]

spiritual knowledge is not man made and hence no real teacher would charge for it. i am afraid the scam is that:

so you believe that in this society we are in only the false info they teach at schools should be funded and the real teachers should scrap and scrape for a living and to spread their teachings....???

in an ideal world I think it would be great if we could all use our natural talents and wisdom to offer to people for nothing... and one day on this planet I think it will be the case ..but now and during that transition... im happy to allow people to use positive things within the system to educate people about the things that the system has never educated people with.

if you think these people should not get paid... then what values do you think people should get paid for?

[limelady]

That is nonsense.

Why shouldn't genuine teachers of this law hold classes and
charge for it?

Behind all this, is your blind acceptance of the old IMPLANTED belief
that money is still bad.

So a 'spiritual teacher' should never ask for this evil thing - 'money'
for his all his effort.

And because of this nonsense belief - the genuine spiritual teacher
lives in poverty.

And yet the same people will pay everybody else from the breadmaker
to the candlestick maker for his bread and candles - but - NEVER,
NEVER pay any money to all the work and effort of the spiritual
teacher.

What complete and UTTER CRAP.

Money is not bad.

It's only bloody energy - yet becuase most people have accepted
the elite's brainwashing of our beliefs about money- they have it all
( with all the power) - and the rest have nothing.

Your reasoning about poverty and being spiritual is pure matrix religious nonsense.
It's a cop -out for not taking responsibilty for your own financial wealth.

I agree with everything seanx says, so it saves me having to add further comment. In fact this will be my last post on this subject because quite frankly I'm over it. If people don't 'get' how this stuff can work positively or negatively in their lives (on a level required to get their heads round it), then there's little point in banging on about it here. The Secret will come and go, but the LOA along with all the other laws are permanent.

As our friend fantana would say "its science"!

End of story......in a totally non-gay way of course!

[i_am]

I agree with everything seanx says, so it saves me having to add further comment. In fact this will be my last post on this subject because quite frankly I'm over it. If people don't 'get' how this stuff can work positively or negatively in their lives (on a level required to get their heads round it), then there's little point in banging on about it here. The Secret will come and go, but the LOA along with all the other laws are permanent.

As our friend fantana would say "its science"!

End of story......in a totally non-gay way of course!

Ditto!!

Dejavu anybody?

[tinmenace]

Ditteux!

[i am all i am]

No certainly not. But its an old trick isn't it? First you build it up (heaps of hype via Oprah, etc etc) then at the height of the frenzy you knock it down leaving every body thinking the whole thing is a crock....


Here lies a toppled god-
His fall was not a small one.
We but did build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one.

- Tleilaxu Epigram

Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert.



http://www.lifeshore.com/smiley/data/media/3/3D_emoticon_S34.gif With LOVE. http://www.lifeshore.com/smiley/data/media/3/3D_emoticon_S36.gif

[tru3]

I agree with everything seanx says, so it saves me having to add further comment. In fact this will be my last post on this subject because quite frankly I'm over it. If people don't 'get' how this stuff can work positively or negatively in their lives (on a level required to get their heads round it), then there's little point in banging on about it here. The Secret will come and go, but the LOA along with all the other laws are permanent.

As our friend fantana would say "its science"!

End of story......in a totally non-gay way of course!

seriously. this horse is plumb rode out. :rolleyes:

[teslafire]

Taking science as the last word on spirituality scares the living shit out of me.

Actually, taking science as an authority on anything scares me.

[teslafire]

For the record, I vascillate on this topic ALL the time...though I've been doing intensive healing on my back lately and only by following the principles of LOA have I gained dramatic improvements, much to my humility.

[montag]

What complete and UTTER CRAP.

Money is not bad.

It's only bloody energy - yet becuase most people have accepted
the elite's brainwashing of our beliefs about money- they have it all
( with all the power) - and the rest have nothing.


Although I understand what you're saying and agree to an extent, the current system of money we live under is evil. The principal of the exchange of energy for a service whether it be spiritual or material is not evil in of itself, what is evil is the fact that half of our energy is taken in the form of taxation to pay interest to the banking cartel for a service(printing money) that our governments instead could do for us interest free.
All money is passed around debt and can never be paid back therefore it enslaves us, that is bad.

[anoninnyc]

http://www.justischase.com/

what do y'all think of this website? his whole thing is loa, but if you use seminars about loa to make money it will backfire. he is like an anti-materialistic version of the secret, but it can be used for your own materialistic ends, ah just go to the website, i am not making any sense

[adramelech]

Taking science as the last word on spirituality scares the living shit out of me.

Actually, taking science as an authority on anything scares me.

First thing that popped into my head. Of course The Secret/Laws of Attraction/Master Key garbage has nothing to do with science anyway, considering it's been set up as a scam to take advantage of people with little or no understanding of quantum physics. These are the same people who watch "What The Bleep Do We Know?" and think they understand quantum mechanics or think that "research" means going to Wikipedia, we're not exactly dealing with the sharpest nails here.

On another note, some of the replies in this thread are downright creepy. People are actually vehemently defending a New Age/self-help con artist. I'm definitely not liking the cult vibe.

[teslafire]

IMO science + spirituality = New Age religion.

edit - One world religion

But there is certainly something to be said about the placebo effect.

[limelady]

Taking science as the last word on spirituality scares the living shit out of me.

Actually, taking science as an authority on anything scares me.

Hi tes.....it scare me too, but when I said "Its science" I was saying it in a very tongue-in-cheek way (fantana joke).....it is a spiritual matter.....but having said that quantum physics is starting to catch up isn't it? To my mind there is not reason why science and spirituality shouldn't go hand-in-hand.

I'm very pleased to hear your back has improved......this is how to use the LOA in one's life. ;)

[teslafire]

I think I would have made the comment whether or not I saw your post.

People like Bruce Lipton, Fred Wolf, Amit Goswami, among others, state this opinion as fact and its a belief that has become the premise for many LOA workshops all over the western world.

[teslafire]

And all of those people I just namedropped are all quantum physicists.

Well, I guess Bruce Lipton would be a bio quantum physicist.

Anyways, science is always wrong, given time...I've never trusted it, and I never will.

I still don't believe in gravity. :p

[john white]

Well I suppose this story goes to show there may be "fast routes" to money but there's no "fast route" to integrity: the one thing, in my observation, that "LOA thinking" doesnt seem able to provide

[thirdwave]

I think I would have made the comment whether or not I saw your post.

People like Bruce Lipton, Fred Wolf, Amit Goswami, among others, state this opinion as fact and its a belief that has become the premise for many LOA workshops all over the western world.


its not so much science proves that the LOA is real... or proves that religions are this and that....so on....

the fact is that now science has evolved into something deeper due to more and more development and discoveries.... what before was impossible and un realistic is now possible as it cant be proven impossible...

so someone would like to still assume that there is nothing behind it they can do so... but for people who do believe it they also cant be proven wrong...

for me its personal experience that directs me to my spiritual views...as well as intuition ...

and when you see so much in our history of "gods" manifesting miracles and having whole civilisations kneel before them..... it razes questions... especially as we have no idea what's possible beyond the science made available to us at this time on this planet...

also I think the word "New Age" is much like the word "Terrorist" ..or "Conspiracy theorists" ... its just a word used to generalise something...so you can use one example to paint the rest with the same brush.... but there are far to many modern beliefs of all shapes and sizes to just generalise them as "New Age" ... its like calling a rugby player and darts player because he plays sports...

[seanx]

Although I understand what you're saying and agree to an extent, the current system of money we live under is evil. The principal of the exchange of energy for a service whether it be spiritual or material is not evil in of itself, what is evil is the fact that half of our energy is taken in the form of taxation to pay interest to the banking cartel for a service(printing money) that our governments instead could do for us interest free.
All money is passed around debt and can never be paid back therefore it enslaves us, that is bad

That is a very different point - but a very true one.

That evil is not inherent in the 'money' - but in the mentality of the Elite
who control it.

As Rothchild say - 'Give me control of the money - and I'll control
everything else'.