James Ray Interview (Blog)

[Steve Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

James Ray Interview

[M13]

I have seen the Larry King and Oprah Interviews. I enjoyed them but at the same time I’ve read up on the Law of Attraction so there wasn’t a whole lot of new material for me.
Larry and Oprah both tossed the cast some softballs. I would have liked to see some tougher questions. What about bad things that happen to good people? What about victims of crime? Abused women and children? The way the interviews sound these people asked for it.
Is there a Law of Chaos and Randomness in the universe? Can other universal laws conflict with the Law of Attraction?

[The Wise Turtle]

Originally Posted by M13

What about bad things that happen to good people? What about victims of crime? Abused women and children? The way the interviews sound these people asked for it.

Well, from certain perspectives that I can see, yes, people who do become victims are "asking for it", at least in a way.

You can either look at it as the victims chose to be in the situations that they were in when they were victimized, probably subconsciously. Some might suggest that these good people might have been obsessing over the idea of guilt, and subconsciously gotten themselves into a situation where they would be punished for whatever it was they felt guilty about, because they thought that they shouldn't "get away" with what they did. I certainly know some people who actually do this consciously. So, I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised to find out that other people do this subconsciously even more often.

Also, you could look at it in a more Buddhist way, and realize that you can't be a victim unless you think you're a victim, thus your own thinking is the real cause of suffering, not something external. The same exact event could happen to two different people, and one might appreciate it, while another feels like a victim. For example, death. Some people look forward to dying and others fear it - so it's not the death that causes the suffering, it's what people think about death that causes suffering. Same thing with physical pain - some folks welcome pain because it makes them feel alive, while others are paralyzed with fear at even the idea of pain, so it can't be anything inherent in pain that causes the suffering, therefore it must be something about the individual's beliefs that causes the suffering. Fortunately, we have more control over our own thinking than anything else. Admittedly, though, it's not easy to change your beliefs. But it's the only way you can completely eliminate suffering.


-Turtle

[The Wise Turtle]

Huh, I must have accidentally deleted my post I made a bit ago. Weird. Oh, well, I'll try again :-)

I wanted to thank you, Steve, for posting this interview because it helped bring to light some of my own concerns about how I teach. I'm aways afraid that people aren't going to take me seriously. Even my husband thinks I'm crazy sometimes when I talk about important stuff.

I'd love to figure out what the secret (heh) is to presenting myself in a way that people see as being intelligent and well informed. Some people are open to almost anything (my Mom loved The Secret), while others need a more "grounded" presentation to be convinced. My hope is that I can be more grounded, so that I can reach the folks who wouldn't be caught dead watching something like The Secret :-)

But I'm just not sure how to do that. Where is the line between stuff that sounds new agey and weird, and stuff that sounds reasonable and scientific? For example, why does the idea of thoughts having "frequencies" sound so silly to some people? I'm not even really sure of what it means, myself, but I suspect that there is some truth to this idea, but just can't imagine how to get at it in a more universally convining way...

-Turtle

[JPX]

Thank you for posting this interview Steve. I like James Ray and his harmonic health explanation.

[mej023]

Check the links out in this thread for a scientific, grounded way of viewing the law of attraction.

Awesome Video Lecture - IM

[nerkles]

I have not seen The Secret movie, but enjoyed this interview.

I'm quite skeptical, however, when James Ray says things like,

"The explanation comes in the form of a science called Quantum Physics."

... and then rattles off a few well-known facts (yes, everything is energy, matter in motion, including your brain and everything going on in there), but then he doesn't connect the dots.

Why and how are these claims about resonance supported by Quantum Physics? Do any real, credible, working-in-the-field Quantum Physicists agree with these claims? (Names and links, please.)

Ray goes on to say:

"When your thoughts and emotions are aligned with the energy of something that you desire, you're already attracting it into your physical world."

Someone please explain how this works. Are there repeatable, scientific tests which prove such a link?

How can your thoughts and emotions possibly be in resonance with something that doesn't (yet) exist (a thing or situation you desire), let alone "attract it into your physical world?" Is there some other world it's going to come from? What or where is that, exactly?

Sorry to rain on the parade, but this really sounds like a huge departure from what little I know of QP (admittedly not much), and from the actual findings of actual scientists.

If it were provably true, then I'd happily believe it. I'm open to the idea, but I'm not one to believe big claims without even bigger proof.

It seems more likely that believing in The Secret results in a psychological trick, a subjective change in perspective if you will, whereby people can better overcome the various baggage that keeps them from doing what needs to be done to get what they want. However, even if that is the case, and the belief helps some people sort out their lives, it still does not prove the claims of The Secret to be true.

[trekr5]

the wise turtle

Some people are intuitive and if the explanation 'feels' right to them then they will accept it. Others use a much more analytical and logical approach and therefore would require a much more fact based explanation..you could read some blogs on quantum physics to explain the entire thoughts having frequencies concept and convince them that way.

[christinekane]

hey steve! Just want to say how absolutely cool it is that you did this interview! I'm constantly inspired by your work and your progress and process etc!

[len]

thnx for another great post steve! you truly are an inspiration

[Jeff Lilly]

In this great interview (thanks, by the way, Steve!), Ray talks about how he visualized himself appearing on Oprah and Larry King as a way to get his message out there. Do you also have specific goals of this sort? Do you want to be on Oprah? :-) You've mentioned wanting to visit Steve Pavlina meetups around the world. Do you also see yourself working on other forms of media? -- Or do you simply set more result-oriented intentions, like "For the highest good of all, in its own perfect time, in its own perfect way, I intend my message to reach everyone?"

[Level1]

I was intrigued by James Ray's interview and liked his reference to going 3 for 3, so I clicked the link to his site. Then I had the same reaction that I have when I visit so many sites related to P.D. It comes across as an Infomercial and being hard sell adverse my immediate reaction was negative.

Why are so many people in this field trying to sell you something? This is why I like Steve's site. There isn't a "dangle the carrot till you buy my book" mentality here. Additionally, it would be refreshing to hear from a P.D. Guru who didn't acheive their abundance through the sale of personal development. How about a person who just runs a successful restaurant or something.

Just some observations.

[John Wesley]

Does anyone else think James Ray is weird looking? Sorry, I had to say it.

[alexb5784]

I think his head is a little big, but that's just because it's full of knowledge. Actually, I think he's kinda cute

Having said that, I really loved the "Three For Three" concept. It really clears up the fantasy that you're supposed to expect this instant magic after reading or seeing The Secret. It's a whole lot to it than that! Great post Steve.

[Brendon Colby]

Originally Posted by Level1

Then I had the same reaction that I have when I visit so many sites related to P.D. It comes across as an Infomercial and being hard sell adverse my immediate reaction was negative.

I had the same reaction, just like when I noticed that most of Tony Robbins' materials seemed like advertising for his seminars. I also seem to have this reaction with Learning Strategies' advertising. It just comes of as a bit slimy to me.

[Adam]

Nerkles,

As far as the quantum mechanics of it all...

Most physicists who deal with the quantum level agree that using your mind to manipulate objects from a distance (with no observable connection) is possible, but they all also agree that it is highly unlikely.

In computer programming, it represents a NULL value... it exists, but it also doesn't exist. It is a place holder, but it doesn't hold any place. Once you define it, it stops being null. In other words, you can't disprove a negative.

James Ray's usage of quantum mechanics seems to stem from the presence of 'ghosted quarks.' A quark, one of the building blocks of atomic particles, is a particle/wave that can, under extreme conditions, split into two entities, both seeming to have the same mass as the original. The peculiar properties of these ghosted quarks is that events which affect one ghost also affect the other one, no matter what the distance. Current research into them is along the lines of instant communication; if you can cause one ghost to pass through a circuit, its partner will take the same course, causing a receiver on the other side to register which path was taken, allowing people to infer the state of the circuit on the other side.

It is all theoretical right now, though, because we have not been able to measure individual quarks. Our best resolution so far is on the 7nm scale, the size of an electron's orbit around hydrogen... Quarks are much, much smaller. (For context, if you expanded a yard or meter, which are roughly the same size, so that it equaled one thousand, then on your scale, a meter would be equal to a centimeter... Expand it again by a thousand, and you would be on the micrometer scale... Expand it again, and you are on the nanometer scale... About seven of your subective yards would equal the width of a hydrogen atom's outer shell... and the tiny dust mote floating at that distance would be an electron, safely sitting at the nanometer's micrometer scale... (Micronanometer? Help, I'm an ignorant American who hasn't learned the full range of metric tenths...) Making up that electron are quarks, impossibly small, even at the nano scale.

In other words, controlling ghosting quarks is possible, but highly unlikely.

Then again, why throw out a good tool because it is mislabeled? Would you throw away a chisel because someone called it a saw? Both chisels and saws cut, even though they work in different ways. In fact, fundamentally, they do work the same way. Force is applied to a lever, and when a sharp point at the end of that lever meets another object, it pushes that object, often splitting a piece from the whole. With the Law of Attraction, whether it is explained through physics or psychology, works the same way. The force is your thoughts. The action that you take from those thoughts is the lever, and the results is what happens to the other object.

Also, just because something is improbable doesn't mean that it isn't common. Amino acids forming complex, self programmed chains, attracting different chemicals and giving birth to life as we know it is also impossibly improbable, and yet, it is also common. Bets at tables in Vegas have a limit because, even though it is improbable for a single person to continue doubling their bets and winning until the house is bankrupt, it is also a statistical certainty that it will happen.

Even if the whole of the Law of Attraction is simply self-fulfilling prophecy, (and what isn't?) then it shows just how powerful of a tool it is, and how easily disrespect for it can cause major problems in people's lives.

[alexb5784]

Originally Posted by Level1

Why are so many people in this field trying to sell you something? This is why I like Steve's site. There isn't a "dangle the carrot till you buy my book" mentality here. Additionally, it would be refreshing to hear from a P.D. Guru who didn't acheive their abundance through the sale of personal development. How about a person who just runs a successful restaurant or something.

Just some observations.

Well...do you buy books on real estate investment? What about a book on how to learn a language? A book on investing? A book on how to start a business? A book on how to do home improvement? A diet or health book?

There isn't a difference between all these authors and people writing books on personal development. They are all selling information. I believe the reason why people expect personal development material to be low cost or free, is because:

Personal development is a life long process, is very hard in the beginning, and it requires you to change who you fundamentally are. Personal development is intangible. You are the end product. And most people aren't willing to go through the discomfort required for change, so they stay the same and then bad mouth the industry and call it a sham.

For example, let's say you want to get out of debt, therefore you buy a personal finance book like Rich Dad. You read it, get excited and are ready to be financially free. But then one month later, you're right back to where you started. So you buy another book and another, but the cycle continues. As a result, you have 100 books on personal finance and are still broke. But you don't call the personal finance industry a sham, because the end product is money. You can feel it. You already have some of it. You can see it. You really want more of it. But as you're not improving your finances, you say, Well I just can't get out of debt right now. I don't think I have found the right book yet and the books I have aren't giving me the information I need. But don't you keep buying these books?

But is the book really the problem? Is it really not giving you the information you need? I believe that even badly written books can give us at least one working idea. If you aren't getting what you want, the problem doesn't lie in the author, but in you. It doesn't matter if the book is on personal development or not. Again, even badly written books have at least one working idea in them, even if the idea is common sense.I have read plenty of badly written books which have given me at least one idea. And I take that idea and move on to the next book.

It's easier to start a business or buy real estate than to pursue a path of positive growth. It's easier to look for something outside of yourself to make you happy. It's easier to expect something tangiable like money, to improve your life. Most people believe they can be successful in every part of their lives without changing who they are. You can't be who you want to be, if you stay the same.

I started working on my personal development first and now everything else (money, success, love) is comes to me easily. And when I say my life is "easy', I don't mean stuff falls out of the sky. I still have to work for everything, it's just that I now have a laid back attitude about it. I'm experiencing the best life I've ever had. And I'm going to continue to work on personal development until I die!

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by Level1

Additionally, it would be refreshing to hear from a P.D. Guru who didn't acheive their abundance through the sale of personal development. How about a person who just runs a successful restaurant or something.

I prefer getting PD info from people who are full-time PD pros. I find they're more serious about personal growth if they're willing to turn it into their career. A restauranteur wouldn't have as much credibility with me, even before I started working in the PD field myself. I figure something is wrong if a restauranteur is writing/speaking about PD instead of running his/her restaurants.

Personally I love seeing seeing PD pros succeed financially with their work. I'd rather see people spending their money on books, audio programs, home study courses, and seminars that may improve their lives vs. coming to Vegas and pumping their cash into slot machines like hapless zombies (even if those people are paying my taxes for me).

What better way to achieve financial independence than in a career devoted to helping people improve their lives? I think we're better off helping each other improve our self-esteem, knowledge, and wisdom vs. satiating our taste buds.

It takes a heck of a lot of work (as well as life experience) to create useful, positively impactful content. I say those people who choose to sell their content fully deserve to be paid for it. One good idea can easily recoup the cost of such programs. I spend quite a bit of money on these programs myself, and I'm happy to do so. When I couldn't afford them, I checked out PD books from the library.

[Adam]

So, where does that leave us part time bloggers?

Yes, yes, I know... The student teaches the master by being ignorant; else he would be the master...

[alexb5784]

I would not think of myself as a part time blogger, even if I had a fulltime job. I would treat my blogging as it were my real job and my other job as the part time one, even if I spend more time at my "paying" job. I would make the mental shift from "my current profession" to professional blogger. If you start treating your blogging like it were your fulltime career, it will eventually be your fulltime career.

And blogging is just a job title, it's not what you really do. I wouldn't say I'm a blogger but I uplift and inspire people. And I do this through blogging and other methods. Because what happens if blogging becomes unpopular? Will you stop blogging because there isn't any more money to be made in it? Will you stop following your passion?

I would focus on the message and not the medium. You can't practice your message/purpose with a part time mentality. It's who you are all the time. And if you have a fulltime "part-time" job, do the best you can and soon you'll leave it behind. I would first make the mental shift that your blogging isn't part-time, even if you spend less time blogging than working at your "other" job.

Good luck with everything

[Level1]

I do agree that people who who provide education and guidance wether through blogs, books, seminars or cd's deserve to earn a living from the materials they produce. I have purchased many of the books recommended on this site as well as paraliminal cd's. Every one has had some value and many are invaluable.

Perhaps my comments above were really coming from my years of thinking that a lot of PD Marketers were akin to the "Ab Buster" style of exercise equipment sellers. I have issues with pessimism.

I guess that I expect the truly enlightened professionals to take a more "natural" and quiet approach to their marketing. It may not work that way. People may be so used to being hit over the head with advertising that a softer message may not get through. I am only stating MY personal preference.

I will continue this journey however, and continue to separate the seeds of knowledge from the chaff.

Thanks for your help everyone!

[Fusebox]

I appreciate this 3 for 3 thing. Action being a key aspect.

One question, what are the other 6 laws of the universe?