Spilling 'The Secret': The mystery behind the blockbuster book

PORT ST. LUCIE — Even before a klatch of ministers, authors and self-help gurus converged on the Oprah show earlier this month to reveal the mysterious key to a happy life, "The Secret" was out.
And boy, is it out.

After Oprah did a show on "The Secret" on Feb. 8, her Web site received so many hits from intrigued viewers, it almost crashed, she said in a follow-up show eight days later where she talked again about the phenomenon. This mishmash of philosophical principles, New Age ideas and spiritual theories, comes by way of a book and accompanying video, by Australian television producer Rhonda Byrne, purporting like attracts like — if you think positive thoughts, positive events will follow.
It claims readers can employ the method to do everything from finding love to making money to curing cancer.

The book has sold 500,000 copies since Oprah featured it, according to USA Today.

Amazon.com, Publisher's Weekly and USA Today all list "The Secret" as their top seller. And you can't even buy it on Amazon.com. They are out of stock.

Rita Truax, owner of Dreamcatcher, a New Age store in Stuart, says she sells out of the videos as fast as she can stock them.

"I kind of do what 'The Secret' encourages, and envision all this good business," she says. "Really since it hit Oprah, it's really gone crazy."

Local Unity churches have been using a version of "The Secret" for years, and have scheduled showings of the film to anyone interested.

The Rev. Mary Katherine Dombek, minister at Port St. Lucie Unity, where the video will be shown, says the Unity Church has believed in the power of positive thought since the 1880s, but the idea had been around for thousands of years before that

"We can create another kind of world," Dombek says. "If all this does is have people realize that they are no longer a victim of society, of their job and their parents, than that is one thing that's been accomplished.".

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