Well, Dear Ones, Christmas (or Winter Holiday, as the case may be) has come and gone. And I bet many of you are bursting with curiosity about whether or not David Schirmer, The Secret’s Wonder from Down Under, met his Christmas Day deadline for paying back the investors to whom he reportedly owes tons of money. This was a promise that he made last year, admittedly under some duress, to Ben Fordham on the Aussie show A Current Affair.I cannot say for certain what’s going down in private deals right now, but I can tell you that from what I have learned so far…now, brace yourself! Be brave!…Schirmer did not meet the promised deadline.
Okay, okay. I know you are shocked and surprised and not a little disappointed, and you’re probably going to feel like shooting the messenger right about now, but I gotta tell it the way I see it – and what it looks like so far is that the people to whom Squirmer owes money, and all those who wish he would just finally decide to do the right thing, are currently realizing the truth of the old saying: "Wish in one hand and crap in the other, and see which one fills up first."
If I learn anything different, of course, I won’t hesitate to let you know.
Is Schirmer at all contrite for his alleged misdeeds? No, not that I can see. In fact, when he addresses the allegations at all, it’s still merely to deny them and claim that they’re mostly the product of a "scorned" ex-lover’s smear campaign. For the most part, and in the grand tradition of New-Wage gurus everywhere, Squirmer simply accentuates the positive and eliminates the negative – or at least willfully ignores the latter. Much like another Secret teacher who has completely glossed over certain matters (such as questions about his phony doctorate degrees that are illegal in his home state)*, Schirmer is moving ever onward and upward.
After an extended holiday, Schirmer seems to be back in action for the new year, with a new Wealth By Choice Ezine and a host of other goodies. In the Ezine, he talks about what an amazing year he’s had.
2007 has been an amazing year for me personally. I have laughed more, cried more, spent more time alone, touched and helped more people, questioned more, grown more, loved more and read more than any other year before.
It has been a time of sadness as my brother Jaime (36) passed away; a year of incredible adversity and even more amazing victories. This year I witnessed real miracales [sic] that few would believe or understand. I have gained much more wisdom and understanding and become closer to God than ever. What an amazing year…
I thank the many people who stood by me and us during 2007, thank you for your emails, letters, cards, and phone calls of support. Every single contact has meant an enormous amount to me, many of your kind words moved me to tears. Thank you.
Words cannot express my gratitude for my incredible family and the amazing team (who spend most of their waking hours with me) who have all given so much to support me and in turn support you. Thank you , without them I would not be even writting [sic] this to you now.
All that’s missing from the new material is the kindly visage of the elder statesman of The Secret, Scientist Bob Proctor, who reportedly has recently taken legal steps to dissociate himself from Schirmer. But who needs Scientist Bob when you have a couple of young blonde cheerleaders (memo to Natalie: For Goddess’ sake, girl, get out while you can!), as well as a loyal and understanding wife, and an ambitious young dude who’s willing to do just about anything for you?
The ambitious young guy in question is Warren Henningsen, who is Schirmer’s current "team member of the month." Schirmer allows Warren to introduce himself via the Ezine:
I'm Warren Henningsen.
You may not know me yet ... but if you have watched The Secret and you've been trying to apply the Law of Attraction you will know me soon…
Hey, Warren, I think I know you. Weren’t you the guy who did bathroom duty for Schirmer a couple of months ago, shielding your hero when he was hiding in the boys’ room because he didn’t want to face that mean Kiwi journo, Robyn James? Yeah, I thought you looked familiar. If it wasn’t you, it was sure someone who looked like you. And if it was you, well, all I can say is that naming you team member of the month is the least Squirmer can do for you after making you face that fearsome journalist with all of her negative questions.
Warren seems unwaveringly loyal to Schirmer, and I really can’t figure that one out. Just listen to him:
I pinch myself every day. I am now the Global Sales and Marketing Manager of The Schirmer Group of Companies.
David Schirmer's knowledge of The Secret and how to use and apply The Law of Attraction is by far the best in the world.
He has shown me "How To Apply The Secret" ... I have watched and witnessed him think and talk about something and within a few days it happens ... it happens so fast at times it blows me away.
After many weeks of 'nagging' he finally agreed to run a one-day seminar on "How To Apply The Secret - Step by Step". My primary objective was and is to get him in front of as many people as humanly possible.
Well ... we've just arrived home after a whirl wind tour of New Zealand and Australia and I'm buzzing.
I've just witnessed lives changing before my eyes and I simply can't express how grateful I am for being part of such a truly awe inspiring experience…
As for the aforementioned Natalie, Schirmer loyalist and current editor of the Ezine, listen to what she has to say on what she has learned from her boss about the topic of "Desire":
If you are going to believe that you are going to achieve your goals and desires you must spend time in contemplation. The general recommendation is to spend a minimum of 30 minutes twice a day thinking about your desires. A more appropriate and helpful way of explaining that is to 'feel' your desires.
Use all of your senses to completely indulge in the experience and if you continue to do this regularly opportunities will begin to arise in your life, people will emerge and things will cause you to act in order for you to move closer to your goals.
There are times that it is best to err on the side of discretion, and sensing that this may be one of them, I will withhold comment.
Perhaps the most exciting news of all is that Schirmer and his lovely wife Lorna are helping to pass the wisdom of The Secret on to the next generation, via something called Youth Destiny Camp (YDC) 2008:
If you could teach your child the skills you learnt from The Secret To Wealth, Mind and Money Strategies, You were Born Rich, The Science of Getting Rich, or How To Apply The Secret ... and give them a head start in life ... in a fun learning environment ... WOULD YOU?
The one question that David has got asked more than anything else over the past 14 years as he has shared his Money Tree spreadsheet and basic wealth creation strategies is: "Why isn't this taught in schools?"
Our passion is to make sure that one day it is! Until then we endeavour to teach teenagers what most of us didn't learn at school about self image, money, prosperity etc, but should have.
And then there’s the upcoming "My Abundant Life" Seminar in March... and who knows what else Schirmer has planned for this year? The question is, does he have any idea what other people might have planned for him? We’ll just have to wait and see. Scuttlebutt has it that 2008 promises to be a very interesting year for Schirmer, perhaps in what is commonly believed to be the classic Chinese sense of the word.
For the time being, though, it seems to be business as usual at the Schirmer camp. He continues to get by with a small group of suckers seekers that he takes pains to make look like a much larger group, all the while attracting all of his "miracales" and, of course, fighting the enemies of truth and justice.
I am kind of curious about one thing: Why the heck aren't Rhonda Byrne and her legal vultures going after Schirmer for apparently co-opting The Secret "S" logo for his David Schirmer Group of Companies (as well as for those Secretploitation sites he maintains)? My guess is that’s one of the things that's coming next, if Schirmer doesn’t watch himself. And if what has happened to some other folks involved with The Secret is any indication, Rhonda’s legal eagles are going to make whatever might have happened with Schirmer and Bob Proctor look like a day at the beach.
* Re the phony illegal degrees: I'm assuming that most of y'all know who I'm talking about so there's no need to provide a link.
Stupid Evil Bastard is onto the q-ray on his blog, BTW.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up, HHH. That's actually a blogworthy snippet in itself. I had previously blogged about the Q-Ray (Oct. 3, 2006 post), and, of course, SEB had written about it before that. It's good to see some of this stuff exposed for the b.s. it is.
ReplyDeleteOops... a bit of brand confusion here. I blogged about the Q-Link products, not the Q-Ray. Same general category of b.s., though. :-)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have some interesting insight into the goings on in Australia and elsewhere. I hope for the sake of all of the people who are the "carnage" of these peoples greed, that 2008 will be a year of peace and happiness. From my observations of Schirmer, he's living on borrowed time and the more desperate he gets the more absurd his comments and claims. For instance his offsiders claim of being the global sales guy or whatever it was. That is completely absurd because how the hell can he be the global sales person for the secret or anything associated with the secret? And as for the logo copy, well that should certainly be brought to the attention of the producers of the secret for their take on it. The guy is deluded, he never has anything original, always seems to take from others and claim it as his own creation or something. Weird times....
ReplyDeleteWeird times indeed, Anon. Or, as I noted, "interesting" times... Actually, the Schirmer apprentice claimed to be the global sales guy for the Schirmer Group of Companies. Even so, Schirmer is obviously milking his 'Secret' connection for all it's worth. And he does seem to be trying to create a bit of brand confusion by using the "S" logo in conjunction with his own company.
ReplyDeleteFor Christs sake, where does this guy get off? Now he's trying to involve kids in his ridiculous mind control stuff. My question is what have HIS kids achieved so far? This looks like a camp held in the Australian school holidays by the Schirmers for the Schirmers so they can take their kids on holidays at the company (and everyone elses) expense. Might be worth bringing that to the attention of the australian tax department because it sure as hell wouldn't be a first for Schirmer. The more shameless he gets the more deep in shit he gets so its kind of fun watching him swim like a bloated turtle in jelly slowly setting around him. Thanks for your post, puts a lighter side on the serious stuff. 2008 should be an "interesting" year forthe Schirmers and their magical crew. I think it's hilarious that the further in the shit he gets the bigger his ego gets and the grander his claims get. Global sales, for christs sake we don't want Schirmer crap here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insights and opinons, BB. I'm thinking that if even some of the allegations about DS are true, the people I am really feeling sorry for now are the young apprentices/assistants/cheerleaders he's taken under his wing. Either they are visionaries or near-saints who see some goodness in Schirmer when everyone else is condemning him, or they are engaged in a particularly dangerous form of self-delusion. I'm suspecting the latter.
ReplyDelete"Every single contact has meant an enormous amount to me, many of your kind words moved me to tears."
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard such pathetic twaddle....
How sad is it when a grown man needs so much attention to feel like a someone in life? If he was moved to tears it must be because he cannot believe that anyone could have any respect left for him after everything that he has done. Schirmer can crap on all he likes, blame Bob Proctor and the so called ex lover and everyone else he's screwed over but nothing will change the evidence against him.
"Schirmer can crap on all he likes, blame Bob Proctor and the so called ex lover and everyone else he's screwed over but nothing will change the evidence against him."
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be the prevailing opinion, Anon!
Shameless Schirmer has apparently just created another COPY of the secret logo well well well. I'm sure Rhonda will be wagging her peter pointer at DS's BS now and it will send her legal eagles into a tail spin yet again. The shameless fool seems to spend his life COPYING everyone else in the hope that their success might rub off. What a giggle this is. Do you think that he might be just a tiny bit jealous of Rhonda Byrnes financial wealth and successes? I doubt he can afford to mingle with the Byrnes lawyers so he's a complete prick in my view and begging for trouble by doing this. I bet he's smartarsing over the whole thing and then he'll whinge and blame Rhonda as soon as it goes down. You watch. If he can't get up their arse he gets up their noses and he boasts that thats the way to live. Give me a break, that's childs play.
ReplyDeleteWell, Willy, it could be that David Schirmer and Rhonda are friends, and that as a consequence she cuts him more slack than she does others. We'll just have to see what happens.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, in the interests of fairness, I should note that the views expressed here are opinions and speculation. Nothing has yet been proven in a court of law (to my knowledge). And I always welcome views from the "other side" as well. It does seem, however, that the prevailing opinion is not favorable to Schirmer.
I believe Rhonda Byrnes should be very careful if she remains linked with Schirmer because of what has already been exposed. Not that I care really because nothing she does bothers or affects me but I do care about others being affected in a very negative way over greed. I don't necessarily agree with some of what Rhonda has done but I also don't think she deserves to be taken down by someone like Schirmer who appears to be a very manipulative and greedy person. I think we can also be assured that what we have seen is only a very small bit of the problem and I feel sure that Schirmer will have an "interesting" year in 2008, let's wait and see what happens. I also find it scary that someone can influence our youth without first proving themselves with adults. I personally feel that Schirmer has not proved himself at all because he has not kept one promise he made to anyone on air which is the first thing he should have done you'd think. There also seems so many people affected by things he has done. His traders don't seem to be the same people as his investors except that one guy on TV and then there are other people not even related to anything he is doing now who have spoken up. Makes you wonder just how many more skeletons there are and how serious they are also. How do you justify publicly claiming that you have "helped" so many people when there seems so much evidence that your actions have had a very serious negative impact on another persons life or many other peoples lives? And this guy claims to be a christian. Some faith he belongs to. If the guy has not done anything wrong then fabulous, everyone should just get on with their lives and stop complaining about their situation but it seems overwhelmingly like there is much more to the problem than what we are even told. I just hope that these issues don't flow over into other peoples businesses and I really think it has with the secret. Especially now with the logo copy, that is asking for trouble. What the secret claims to be and what we hear about Schirmers actions appear poles apart and I am concerned that this will affect people who are already in a very vulnerable situation. I read this morning a prediction for the future of the US and I really do fear our future. If we allow these people to just do what they want to do and claim whoever they want to be and fleece people out of greed then where is our society heading? What happened to basic business ethics and honesty? I get the feeling that we might have to learn that lesson all over again, the hard way...
ReplyDeleteLooks for all the world like the
ReplyDelete"Big I and a little we" syndrome of the typical psychopath. There is no I in TEAM or ME and I think somewhere the Jezebel Spirit was mentioned also. Frightening stuff if it gets a hold of you and only the person can come to the conclusion that they are bound to it. Good lesson for everyone.
Good points all, Willy. I have the feeling more will be revealed about Schirmer as the year progresses. I've heard "his side" of the story but it just doesn't sound very convincing to me. Yet Schirmer still seems determined to break into the US market. Whether his intended audience will be smart enough to look at his background, though, is anyone's guess. In the New-Wage industry, it really does seem like "anything goes."
ReplyDeleteWell, Iggy, I don't know about "psychopath," but some of the New-Wage gurus seem to display symptoms of sociopathy. And some of it's pretty frightening, actually.
ReplyDelete"There is a magazine in Australia (BRW) that each year lists the wealthiest people in the country, so why wasn’t one of those people selected as the Australian to go into the Secret movie?? They have proven that they have the secret to wealth, which is what the movie claims to know, yet they have some very shifty person by the name of David Schirmer who no one has ever heard about, does not come up in any list of wealthy people, and then to top it off it seems that all his ‘wealth’ actually belongs to other people!!"
ReplyDeleteand this one
"I get cheques in the mail every two weeks. Does that make me a believer in the Secret? No. I just work for a living. I’m a happy, well-adjusted positive person, surrounded by other like-minded people, who lives a very fulfilling and contented life. Does that mean I practice the law of attraction? Absolutely not. I strongly disagree with its obscene narcissism.
My father always said that faith and doubt are the horns on the same bull. There must always be room for questions. Any belief so fragile that it has to re-define the term ‘negative’ to avoid healthy debate is nothing to believe in at all."
Can't help thinking that there are some NORMAL people out there after all.
Excellent comments, Anon, and you raise some good questions about Rhonda's choice of the token Aussie to be in her movie. It could be that she did ask some legitimately wealthy experts to be in "The Secret," but they refused for various reasons. I honestly don't know; I am only speculating.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand -- and this seems more likely to me -- it could have been that she was only interested in folks who would be the most appealing to the followers of New-Wage/selfish-help stuff (especially in the US). Some obscure Aussie businessman wouldn't have the same appeal as a flamboyant guy who, after all, was associated with Bob Proctor (who himself has been well-known in the motivational industry for a couple of decades).
I am not sure if a friendship existed between Rhonda and Schirmer beforehand, or if they developed a friendship at some point after she began developing "The Secret" DVD. But it seems likely that Rhonda was influenced in her choice of Schirmer at least in part because of his association with Proctor. On some of his web sites Schirmer talks about "how it all started" and how he got into "The Secret," but I am not sure he is the most reliable source, if you know what I mean.
As far as I know, Rhonda has said nothing about whether or not she now regrets her decision. But for all I know, she could be taking steps in private to sever strings with Schirmer, even as Proctor apparently has. Again, I don't know and haven't heard anything about what Rhonda is thinking in this regard; I am only speculating.
I wonder what devious scheme Schirmer will come up with next to suck money out of people to pay for his mansion and cars. How sad is it when mansions and cars define a person? How shallow are they when that is all they have to say in the media. How incredibly absurd is it when they expect other people to do the same as them. How bloody stupid to expect all negativity to be removed when it is in those very circumstances that you LEARN lifes lessons. I find these New Age fools very disturbing when they can claim so much and affect so many psychologically and there are no laws to hold them accountable. Or are there?????????
ReplyDeleteThank you, Darling. There are laws, I suppose, but most of the New-Wagers find ways to get around them.
ReplyDeleteTo start....thanks for continuously raising the level of awareness of the masses connie. It is awefully interesting that people make rash judgements on things based solely on the opinions of others....particularly the opinions of others presenting on Gossip Current Affairs shows. No evidence has ever come to light against David Schirmer as there is none to present. The television show that has worked so hard to defame him has done nothing other than find a handful of people who are trying desperately to put their hands into his pockets.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone point out any actual evidence against David Schirmer? I have heard the same speculative crap that everyone has and am still yet to see any hard facts.
Would it not make sense that Rhonda Byrne, when putting together such a global phenomenon like "The Secret", with a background in network television production, would have done exhaustive research into the teachers she chose to use? Clearly if the production quality and marketing was implemented with such precision then can one not assume that the research and due dilligence into the speakers would have been equally precise?
I find it incredibly interesting that people are so quick to attack other people without cause or reason. David Schirmer's ability to pass his understanding and knowledge of the Law of Attraction and Vibration is awesome. However, he does not force people to buy anything. He doesn't tell them to believe anything differently to what they currently believe. What he, and those people in the Personal Development Industry are out there trying to do is open people's awareness just a little bit.
Can it hurt to look at the world as one with hope? One where dreams can come true? One in which we can be proud of?
I am of the ilk that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Why filth monger and stir and stir until a person's character is marred by speculation. If David Schirmer has done wrong by those two or three people that have put their hands up the law will deal with him as it is required to do so.
How is it though that out of the thousands of people that David Schirmer has presented to, only two or three have been hard done by????
I will wait....patiently.....and see...without my judgement being swayed by the likes of nay sayers or yay sayers.
Thank you, Anonymous. I am, as everyone can see, keeping my commitment to publish comments from both (or all) sides. (You don't by any chance work for Schirmer, do you? :-))
ReplyDeleteI won't address your email point by point but one question stuck out for me: "How is it though that out of the thousands of people that David Schirmer has presented to, only two or three have been hard done by????"
All I can say right now is that the information I have seen presents a very different picture.
But I do appreciate your presenting another side of the matter.
Anon, I did want to address one more question you asked:
ReplyDelete"Would it not make sense that Rhonda Byrne, when putting together such a global phenomenon like 'The Secret', with a background in network television production, would have done exhaustive research into the teachers she chose to use? Clearly if the production quality and marketing was implemented with such precision then can one not assume that the research and due dilligence into the speakers would have been equally precise?"
That's a fair question, but my guess is that Rhonda's main criterion for choosing "teachers" was their marketability, not their ethics or their past. Schirmer is far from the only Secret "teacher" who has a questionable past; he just had the misfortune of dabbling in an area (the stock market) where there are stricter laws in force than exist in most areas of the self-help industry.
I also want to add that I just now rejected another anti-Schirmer comment because I felt it came across as being too much of an attack -- a very forceful expression of rage and nothing more -- and I did not feel it would add to the conversation. I can understand why the person who wrote the comment would feel that way, but I am still trying to maintain a certain level of civility here. I hope you understand.
ReplyDeleteWell well another person totally blinded by the hype and psychological shinanigans of a master hukster not much of a surprise really because it seems that all of Schirmers victims have been there at one point which is quite interesting but doesn't say anything postive for Schirmer. I would suggest that anon contact some of the people who are accusing David Schirmer to hear their side of the story because I did and was pretty much astounded with the results. Totally agree, both sides are needed, in fact couldn't agree more. I would not make an opinion until I had some of both sides. Anon could it also be that all the "evidence" that these people have is being held for further action? Surely Schirmer has seen it all before at some point in fact probably put his own hand to most of it even. Think about it, Schirmer has been given an abundance of time to come good and all he could do is act like a kid who cant have his candy. Whatever it may be it should be a very 'INTERESTING' year for David Schirmer. I think if I were David Schirmer I would find a way to settle a few things before I created any more problems because that reporter seemed like a guy who just won't give up and whatever dirt he has on Schirmer probably is just trickling out. When people from your home town start speaking up about shit you've stirred up years ago you know that this guy is not quite who he's trying to sell himself as but it might be who he'd like to be. I have done my own investigations and I have seen a some of the evidence and I have also been in Schirmers seminars and could not believe the crap that the guy trys to sell. That is my opinion and I am careful who I do business with. Schirmer is not one of those people that I would ever do business with. H comes across as being out for himself and it now seems like he has to be to keep up the sharade he calls life. I do not want to live like that because it is completely unethical and frankly totally fake. Anyone drawn into his web only stay a while until they realise that the whole thing is surviving on hype. The whole intention of getting you onto their books is to invite you back to more and more seminars that you can't do without and upsell you to products that you look at once and realise you've been duped by the boxes because it's all available FREE on the web. That's what keeps these people ticking, selling you something you absolutely do not need. If Schirmer is the master trader that he claims he is then why is he not trading his way out of this mess? I believe if he had a choice to shut people up by paying them out he would which leads me to come to the conclusion that he has bugger all and what he has got belons to the bank. All you need to do is look on that ASIC web site, if Schirmer is wealthy like he's trying sell himself as why do his companies have charges over them? That would be the first thing you would avoid because thats the firt place you look when you want to do business with someone. I'm a healthy sceptic whose done some research and I am staying clean clear of Schirmer. My opinion...
ReplyDeleteAnd the saga continues... Thanks, Anon!
ReplyDeleteSchirmer should get a grip of himself instead of sopping over himself so much. What he writes is a load of tripe and so pathetically selfish. By the loosk of it he's going down a windy road of self destruction and the faster the better.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'll certainly report information as I find it -- for or against Schirmer.
ReplyDelete"No evidence has ever come to light against David Schirmer as there is none to present."
ReplyDeleteWell hello Sunshine where have YOU been?
It sounds like you just might be in the same place that all these people were at one point, just believing Schirmers words and in total denial that anything could possibly be amiss? Just take a look at the results, that should tell you enough without any other evidence.
Ask yourself, am I just believing everything I have been told or have I asked the right questions of the right people to really know that its true? Does this man do what he says he does or is he really living a charade hoping to get rich, even falsely believing he is rich, visualising being rich but in reality not actually having anything much at all? Is he the type of man who cheats on his wife and children? Does he abuse relationships and trust for his own benefit or does he provide a mutually satisfactory solution if there is a problem? Does he take criticism or does he get very angry and defensive when he's questioned or disagreed with? Does he trade and what are his results but remember you want to see the brokers statements not a dodgy spreadsheet? That guy on the ACA interview might be able to help you out if you don't have access to Schirmer. If he's genuine he'll have it all right ready to show you. Is Schirmer what and who he claims to be on his web site or in all of his marketing? I do recall one piece of marketing where he mentioned his sons porsche but I went passed and checked out the porsche and it was a clapped out piece of junk so that rang bells with me immediately. Does he live an honorable life as an example of the movie the secret? Is he really wealthy or is that just a term he has chosen to use to market himself because wealth is a very subjective word and would be difficult to challenge? If I have $100 and you have $50 I could be very wealthy to you. Could this man be involved in some indecent or unscrupulous activities where he has taken money off people and deliberately hidden it even put it overseas and is now claiming not to owe anyone anything or have the money at all? If these people who are accusing him really are genuine and I have to say that I believe they are, where is all the money that these people reckon he's taken? It would be impossible for him to use it up in the business unless he did nothing and spent it all on hotels and food and made no money in the business and even then its not going to be viewed very kindly by anyone least of all the authorities. These people would not go on national tv just for the heck of it really would they? Have you asked things like has this man paid all of his suppliers and before they are due not weeks or months after they are due? Are all of his employees happy and paid on time as they should be? If you are working for this man have you spoken to any previous employees before you started working for the company or before you bought anything from him? Everyone should ask all these questions before they spend a dollar or a minute on anyone they want to be associated with let alone whose trying to sell themselves as a wealth coach or mentor (GOD HELP US). Are you confident enough to stake your life and savings on this mans word? Have you investigated why all these people and now even Bob Proctor, Schirmers so called mate from the secret movie, have disassociated themselves? Is this even true? What about the people he is doing business with, what do they think? Have you investigated why his businesses have not worked in the past, for christs sake don't ask him, ask people who worked for him or supplied equipment for him, event halls and the like. Why does he change companies so often? Why did he start a new trading company and a new personal development company when he apparently had investors in these companies? Did he become greedy and is now facing the results of that greed? Why did he have investors anyway? Could he not afford to buy the business himself? That alone should cause you to question his claims of wealth.
David Schirmer is affecting the public emotionally and financially and maybe not always in the ways that he wants you to believe he is. He is not entitled to anything from you or of you until he proves himself to you and NO you don't just believe .... you ask the right questions and you are entitled to answers and you are also entitled to think as you wish not as you are told you should think.....
If you are confident about all of the above then go for it sunshine, you are a braver man/woman than me.
All good questions, Sean. And I'm just speculating here, but I bet these are questions that Rhonda Byrne did not ask before she cast David Schirmer in The Secret.
ReplyDeleteAnon said,
ReplyDelete"Would it not make sense that Rhonda Byrne, when putting together such a global phenomenon like "The Secret", with a background in network television production, would have done exhaustive research into the teachers she chose to use? Clearly if the production quality and marketing was implemented with such precision then can one not assume that the research and due dilligence into the speakers would have been equally precise?"
You would think that, but that is not always the case. The Big O (Oprah) did not do a background check on Dr. Jann Turner and it came back to bite her in the behind. She was also warned about James Frey's memoir, as reported by the NY Times, but went with the memoir anyway. So this is not always a safe assumption.
Good examples, Mary Anne. People don't always do their homework. And one would think that Oprah would do thorough background checks, especially since she is so high-profile.
ReplyDeleteBYW, its Dr. Jann Adams, not Turner. I always make that mistake with his name:) TMZ did a great job of hounding the Big O about Dr. Adams until Harpo (O's production company) admitted they did not do a background check. They should have remained silent, because their response was quite damaging. I believe that is why the Big O brought Discovery Health, where Dr. Adams originally aired. She also did not check out Dr. Phil too thoroughly either.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Mary Anne; that one went by me. I was focused on James Frey. Anyway, the point is still a good one.
ReplyDelete"... personality and ego it takes to accrue that wealth just isn't all that compatible with a fulfilling personal life."
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment off another post but I think it's a pretty appropriate one for our Mr Schirmer.
Could EGO be his achilles heel?
Anyone with that amount of "issues" in their life must have an idea as to the cause of them. Worth him doing a bit of soul searching about perhaps but it certainly doesn't gel too well with the secret. I mean how can you be a "teacher" (that's a damn loose unqualified term if ever I've heard one!) and have so many "issues".
Those are certainly worthy questions, Philip -- and not just about Schirmer, but about several other "teachers" in "The Secret." I've said it before and will say it again: marketability was the main criterion in choosing these "teachers." And my guess is that marketability was the main criterion in choosing "teachers" or "stars" for "What The Bleep," which preceded "The Secret" by a couple of years. Same goes for the numerous other New-Wage moviemercials... oops, I mean "spiritual-cinema" offerings... that are currently in production.
ReplyDeleteThe New-Wage movie industry is on a roll now, and we can expect many more works in the spiritual-cinema genre until the market finally gets saturated. I wrote about this in an August 2006 post:
http://tinyurl.com/27vxdu
As for Schirmer, however, in light of his current troubles I doubt if he'll be chosen for any of the New-Wage moviemercials currently in the works, or for that matter, any of the inspirational New-Wage TV shows in production. Even New-Wage film makers and TV producers have their standards.
"Even New-Wage film makers and TV producers have their standards."
ReplyDeleteAnd what might those be? Because from observing the past it has never got much better. Perhaps David Schirmer has come under so much criticism because of his apparent warped christian beliefs because there certainly doesn't appear to be any ethics in what he says he believes. His church must have pretty lose standards if he is anything to go by. It certainly makes you really question what lengths a man will go to to satisfy his greed, ego and sexual desires. In the end who counts the cost of all the damage these people cause? Not them apparently, they remain trying to convince themselves that they are doing good in this world.
Well, Phoebe, I would like to think that sooner or later some of these jokers *will* be held accountable. I think 2008 will be an "interesting" year.
ReplyDeleteBRING ON 2008 I SAY!
ReplyDeleteI like interesting years for people like this guy. All you ever get from them are blame, complaining and bloated chests about all the good they have apparently done. Forget the anger and frustration and emotional damage not to mention the financial damage to many lives they've already caused because that's just negative crap.
BRING ON 2008 I SAY!
Well, Bill, the word I've gotten is that the next couple of months will be *very* interesting for DS.
ReplyDeleteDavid Schirmer hasn't a hope in hell of winning any Australia Day Awards this weekend BUT he does win the cracker award for being the biggest Aussie wanker in the movie the secret. To think that his role was to gets checks in the mail and find a parking space by dreaming about it(that the chaser boys did an even better stunt with) makes you cringe with embarassment at being an Aussie. I watched the secret and found nothing new in it and Schirmer looked like he had someone tickling his arse his emotions were so fake. Could have been his conscience but I didn't see one.
ReplyDeleteHow the guy can sleep at night is a big question and how he can promise to pay people back (obviously he found a conscience when he was cornered)and then DOH! say he doesn't owe anyone anything in a later interview, doesn't mean his problems are going to go away. He obviously FEARS what people will think and FEARS losing his earthly belongings all because he was just a greedy selfish little fat bastard and no amount of wishing will make the problem end just because he wants it to. What about all the people he owes money to, what is their come back? He does not seem to have provided any solutions and Ben Fordham won't give up on the guy so it certainly will be an interesting next few months for our Mr Schirmer.
If he can't pay people then he will be shut down for running insolvent because your debts come before your earthly desires by law. By the looks of it he's been running on the smell of an oily rag for quite some time because those people are still hanging out for their money. I have no doubt that by now the Taxation people in Australia are getting onto him also and he'll come up with some cracker excuses for them. This guy had another business which was closed down in 2004 for pretty much the same reason, running backwards on nothing and paying no-one. He started up again using the same assets straight afterwards despite still owing people money and obviously didn't pay those debts because there are still people asking for money from back then. The guy thinks he's God and can pick and choose who he pays and when and if you ask too many questions you just don't get paid. It has only been 3 years since the his trading business was closed down and if he is shut down now it may mean he'll be out of business for a very long time ........ right where he should be. It is not legal to run companies into the ground and start a new company with the assets of the old company especially when you have creditors or investors so I'm thinking that Mr Schirmer might be in a spot of bother now.
I join the chorus of well wishers and hope he's dealt with very soon. It's not a pretty situation and Schirmer should grow up and be a man and admit his bloody big mistakes.
Will be interesting watching the outcome and I hope these people find resolution soon.
Well, it looks like Schirmer is over in the good ol' US of A, so lock your doors. Looks like your immigration procedures need a little tightening up. Check out his latest blog, and guess what he is there for?? A marketing prize he won for one of his "Secret" seminars!! He is a lousy conman but a good marketer apparently!! So there you go......Rhonda Byrnes and her merry band of Marketeers. It was all about how to sell this snake all to a vunerable public, and nothing more.
ReplyDeletehttp://davidschirmer.blogspot.com/2008/01/from-orlando-florida.html
I can't work out why anyone would bother buying anything off Schirmer because very little of what he sells is complete. He is never on time with his reports but guess what they always come out after the market has moved so they are worthless and show just how much of a fool he is. What happened to the book he was promoting before the Mind and Money show last year? Was that just a deliberate stunt to get people into the event? That is total deception and exactly how this guy operates. What about the stuff he has on his trading website that people have been asking for for years and I've watched the dates change every 6 months or so for several years now? It seems he is being held accountable for every promise he made especially now that the thinks hes king dick of the secret.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is living his life OFF everyone else and that is what he is teaching other people to do. He is a CONMAN in every sense of the word and needs to be shut down. What will it take? One of his victims to suicide over his arrogance towards them? Don't say it won't happen because I know it almost has several times because I know some of his victims personally. I also know a lot about Schirmer that he would not want his so called "friends and blind followers" to know and I also know that Schirmer is hoping that this problem will just go away. I can assure him that it never will, you screw with peoples lives and you deal with the consequences. I'm just an onlooker but I sure as hell know that Schirmer ain't squeaky clean and he is abusing the trust of people who have helped and are helping him deliberately for his own gain. Yes, 2008 should be a very "INTERESTING" year for David Schirmer.
Interesting insights, DC. As always, I welcome thoughts, observations, and opinions from the other side too.
ReplyDeleteHow the hell can David Schirmer afford a ticket to the US and accommodation and food when HE HAS NOT PAID HIS DEBTS? His tripping to the US is just for his own personal gain not for any gain to anyone he owes money to. He will now have to answer for every decision he has made including this one and I don't think his victims are going to be very kind to him now.
ReplyDeleteAs I noted on another thread, Anon, that's a question many are asking. (By the way, I did something I rarely do; I edited out your comment about Schirmer's personal appearance, but the essence of your message remains.)
ReplyDeleteOh hoho,
ReplyDeleteI must wipe away a tear, both at how dreadfully sad this story is and at how ridiculously hilarious the whole thing is.
I am glad irony is not dead.
Another great Blog Connie.
Maja
Thanks, Maja!
ReplyDeleteWell its Easter Monday in Australia 2008 and David Shirmer has yet again been chased by a Aust Tv program. Shirmer is relaxing in a resort up in the Gold Coast of Australia staying at a hotel that costs anywhere from $500 to $3000 a room per night. The camera crew run up to him and ask him if he is going to pay the people back and he just keeps that swarmy smirk on his face and smiles like the slippery toad that he is. The good news is that tomorrow he is due to appear in court with his wife on an enquiry about his financial dealings. Fingers crossed that David Schemer, Scammer Shirmer gets The Secret magnetic whammy of everything he has done to others.
ReplyDeleteA little present (from from a friend who paid heaps of money for David seminars and have been burned).
ReplyDeletePrepare yourself to have some fun every 3rd Wednesday of every month, come online and challenge him with questions.
You may want to give these details around too.
Will post eventual updates I may receive.
Mainwhile write down all the following details:
The teleconference with David Schirmer is
WEDNESDAY 19th MARCH AT 7:30PM DST
(Daylight Savings Time) 6:30PM EST - AUSTRALIA
3:30AM (New York) & 12:30AM (Los Angeles) Observing Standard Time
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE CALL IS NOW THE THIRD WED OF EVERY MONTH. THESE CALLS WILL CEASE ON 16th JULY 2008.
Http://www.worldtimeserver.com/time_converter.aspx?f=CA-ON
Conference Dial-in Number:
USA & Canada: (641) 715-3200
Australia: 0011-1-641-715-3200 ... see attached sheet for low cost calling rates
Elsewhere: +1-641-715-3200
Participant Access Code: 403131#
The conference call is the same time as usual ... 7:30pm Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time, Wednesday 27 February.
New Zealand: 9:30pm (Wednesday 27 February)
Australia: (Wednesday 27 February)
Victoria/NSW - 7:30pm
South Australia - 7:00pm
Queensland - 6:30pm
Western Australia - 5:30pm
Make sure you have a pen and paper ready to jot down those all important points.
We look forward to taking this journey with you and having you on the call.
Keep Winning!!!
Yours In Abundance
Natalie Pearson
Special Projects Manager & Personal Assistant
Wealth By Choice Pty Ltd
P.O Box 4458
RINGWOOD VIC 3134
Ph: +61 3 9879 8155
Fx: +61 3 9879 5811
Thanks, Anon. I feel compelled to add a little disclaimer: By publishing this comment I am NOT condoning or endorsing Schirmer or Wealth By Choice. Furthermore, unless informed otherwise, we should assume that this anonymous commenter is NOT Natalie Pearson, whose name appears at the end of the message. Our anon commenter was merely copying and pasting from a Schirmer email. Although given the circumstances as I understand them, I would not be at all surprised if Ms. Pearson were to join the detractors' camp at some point before too long...
ReplyDeleteYes I'm not Ms Person! :-D
ReplyDeleteOnly thought to copy and paste these infos that a friend sent me so everyone outside his close circle can know these details.
Therefore someone of you could ask him some hot questions while everyone of his "followers" are listening.
What do you think?
I wish as much as you to have him exposed. Unfortunately now his focus is on the overseas market, not just NZ but also USA!
Ah, yes, Schirmer in the USA. It remains to be seen how he will be received here. No doubt he'll still try to capitalize on having been in "The Secret."
ReplyDeleteI am no longer in the employ of David Schirmer. Warren Henningsen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, Warren. I really do hope the experience didn't leave you worse off. (I do see the potential for a good screenplay, though, don't you? Names changed and all that, of course...)
ReplyDeleteOn investigating Warren Henningsen he says this on his powerful intentions blog that his:
ReplyDelete"Personal Website:
http://www.thesucceedmagazine.com "
Now correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the succeed magazine according to the Australia Securities and Investment Commission belongs to none other than our Mr Schirmer. Could there be a financial issue between them?
Some people are arrogant enough not to listen or learn from anyone. Please explain Warren? Is succeed magazine yours or not? Is what you have said on those blogs the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? All of it?????
Why Warren, are you owed money too???????? Let's do a bit of guessing here. My guess is that he couldn't afford to pay for something so you funded it believing what you were being told and the promise that you would be paid back. Could that be just a little bit close to the facts?...
ReplyDeleteI also reckon you may have kissed that money goodbye because it would already be spent .... on themselves. They might not have the house any more but they've still got those cars that [Schirmer] says are worth more than some people's houses. What an arrogant prick.
The mind boggles, I thought you were a convert, Warren. Good to see that you've finally seen the light or Schirmer for who he is. What about silly Natalie? She still hanging on...?
ReplyDeleteIt occurred to me that, the Internet being what it is, the comment from "Warren" could have been the work of an impostor. Given the way Blogger's comment system is structured, I have no way of knowing one way or the other. At this time, if you click on the link that "Warren" provided with his comment, you get a notice that his profile is not publicly available. So that's a dead end.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, if this comment did not really come from Warren Henningsen, I trust that the real Warren H will let me know and I will pass that information on in this forum.
In the event that the comment really was from Warren, I can only say to my other commenters that I'm sure Warren will share the details of his separation from Schirmer's employ when and if he sees fit. I did want to note that if the event was very recent, he may not have had time yet to update his various web sites and public profiles.
Quite true and if its not Warren then maybe the person knows more than they are caring to share. Lets face it, how many of Schirmers associates come out unscathed?
ReplyDeleteSchirmer should take a good hard look at what his life is telling him about himself. He has debts coming out his ears as far as I can see which is the exact opposite of what he's trying to promote. Any wonder the guy is the loser in the secret.
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:08 PM: That's a good point; even if the commentor was an impostor s/he could very well have had a basis for that comment. We'll see...
ReplyDeletePhillip, as far as I'm concerned, Schirmer isn't the only "loser" in The Secret...
ReplyDeleteWith any luck Rhonda Byrnes will sue Schirmer and maybe even his convenient friend Joe Vitale will sue him for being a fraud too, who knows, the guy is a total loser and it looks like he has people chasing him from all over the place for money. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY MUST BE FUNNY IN A RICH MANS WORLD, in his dreams!
ReplyDeleteAnon, I'm not sure what grounds Joe V would have to sue Schirmer. And why would he anyway? He got free publicity via Schirmer's "Succeed" Magazine. Even if Schirmer has done all the things he's accused of, it's no skin off Joe's back. (Besides, Joe likes to "focus on the positive.")
ReplyDeleteJoe V probably got in the magazine FREE because Schirmer needed someone in it to fill it up or make something of it. The entire magazine is just full of crap and mostly Schirmer crap.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right, Anon. I wonder how long it will be before "Succeed" folds...
ReplyDeleteThe magazine was doomed from the start because it was created out of greed and arrogance. The guy who publishes it tried for ages to hide the fact that he was benefiting financially from the sales of it because he knew that no-one wants any of his crap anymore. Except of course those who do the same to him and use it to spread their dirty words too. There is only so much airy fairy crap that anyone can take and as soon as people realise that they are just being fed a load of bullsh-t AND the fools are even paying for it to boot, the sooner the industry is cleaned up. There is nothing wrong with good quality personal development programmes, they have their place, its types like this guy who are feeding people on total crap because they can make money out of it for themselves and are not prepared to do the right thing towards others is where all the problems are. The problems will never go away because leopards don't change their spots in fact they are known by them.
ReplyDeleteYou made some very good points, Ian. One problem I see (and I know I've griped about this before, so I hope you can stand a little redundancy) is that so many of the people who actually are very successful in the self-help industry are little better than Schirmer. And even when their misdeeds and hypocrisies are exposed, PEOPLE STILL CONTINUE TO BUY THEIR CRAP. Many of the selfish-help/New-Wage gurus do tout some fine principles and ideals, but rarely live up to them. It doesn't mean the principles are rubbish, but it's a shame that the misbehaving gurus get to keep on profiting from selling these ideas, while they're leaving such a path of wreckage in their personal and business lives.
ReplyDeleteSchirmer is NOT the only one who's doing this, and I think many of us here know full well that this is the case.
Y'know, I think that one big reason the self-help biz is still so profitable despite the shenanigans of its leaders is that at some level, many people either want to be fooled or don't mind it so much, so long as they have some feel-good promises of happiness to cling to.
Addendum to my previous remark: I just wanted to clarify that I am NOT implying in any way that the people who have lodged complaints against David Schirmer were among those who "wanted to be fooled." Schirmer is different from many selfish-help gurus in that he dealt in an area -- the stock market/investments -- that is governed by stricter laws than the areas covered by most gurus. And he was making concrete guarantees about returns on investments and the like, rather than abstract promises about miracles and happiness (a la the average New-Wage huckster).
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen, it appears that Schirmer went to great lengths to persuade people to give him their money to "invest," and that the folks who did fork over their money had a reasonable expectation that he would keep his promises.
It also appears that Schirmer has now begun to devote most of his energy to those safer, more airy-fairy realms of self-help, but he still can't seem to stay out of trouble. I suspect that he still entertains hopes of making it big in the US; we'll see how that goes!
If that is Warren Henningsen who commented then he should remove his comments about schirmer from his facebook and powerful intentions blog including his pathetic suck up of a book. No-one ever made millions sucking up to anyone especially to people who have been proved in a court of law to be deceitful.
ReplyDeleteHi, Anon: I have reason to believe that probably *is* Warren who commented here. As I'd noted earlier, though, it's possible he just hasn't had time yet to remove all of that stuff from his profiles. But I agree that it should probably be a priority for him to modify it as soon as possible. (And I personally think he ought to write a tell-all book rather than a suck-up book. Just guessing here, but I bet he has LOTS of good material.)
ReplyDeleteJust guessing here but I bet there are a LOT of Aussies who would like to write a tell all book on their experiences with the Schirmers. In fact the book has probably already been written.
ReplyDeleteSchirmer said in his mind and money marketing that the attendees would get a book which he had written called something like "If I Can You Can Too". Incidentally not a soul has received any book but Schirmer got their money for attending that event (just another broken promise no doubt). I doubt the book was ever written but I notice that the title or a similar title has been used by Warren Henningsen in his suck up to Schirmer on the powerful intentions forum. Warren if that is you on this blog for Gods sake change the title of the book and remove Schirmers name from it because it doesn't have a hope in hell of landing any sales now. There are probably plenty of copies already taken of it so it will be worthless anyway but I think I'd care a bit more about my own arse than to use Schirmers name on ANYTHING now.
ReplyDeleteAs connie has said despite his hypocracies people still get sucked in by his crap and still willing to do his dirty work which he seems to languish in. Imagine how emotionally challenged they will be when they realise that their God is a just an arrogant prick.
Hey Wazza, whats up, doesn't Schirmer love you any more? Have you fallen out of favour this week? He's a bit like that, has his favourites, licorice allsorts I call them. Only the bright ones leave so you don't have to feel bad about deserting him. You seem much brighter than him so you would have lost favour REAL quick. Good luck mate.
ReplyDeleteLOL What someone pipped him to the post, thats hilarious.
ReplyDeleteWhat pisses me off more than anything is that these PD people cannot handle anyone saying anything bad about them. When people are angry with them because of their arrogant and self righteous attitude they tell them that they have a problem. Just in case those weazels are watching anger is a normal emotion. A magazine says it best. Healthy anger is linked to self-esteem. It’s about passion, self-empowerment and being able to say no.’ If people have found out that David Schirmer or any of the other secret teachers are not who they are pretending to be then they are allowed to feel damn angry whether Schirmer or anyone else likes it or not. I think I saw a touch of, no get real, a damn lot of anger on Schirmers face in a number of his interviews. Oh but he doesn't get angry does he? Well I am damn angry at how these people are allowed to get away with screwing people over all the time and getting away with it. I don't mind who I mention it to either because I am not afraid of being passionate about what I think and feel, I find it rather therapeutic.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lynda: I agree, the New-Wage hustledorks don't like criticism. They either ignore it altogether or place the blame on the critics. (Some, like Tony Robbins has done, go so far as to threaten legal action against their critics.) I to have seen the anger on Schirmer's face during some of those ACA interviews, but if I look past that and into his eyes, I see fear.
ReplyDeleteSchirmer has gall but not balls thats why he carries a look of fear in his face. He's a guy who likes people to think he is on top of his game when it appears that couldn't be further from the truth. He has a mediation for one of his court cases today so heaven knows what crap will come out of that.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I have been totally deceived and mislead by David Schirmer. I can no longer trust the man, not that I ever really did. What has come out has just confirmed my suspiscions all along. I feel sure he'll get his just deserts.
ReplyDeleteHi. I Just saw a teaser for the latest A Current Affair expose on David Schirmer and there was Warren Henningsen saying that David Schirmer doesn't keep his promises. Well, if Warren believes that David Schirmer's not the man he makes himself out to be, that changes things for me, since Warren was the guy who first contacted me and arranged for me to meet David. I liked Warren a lot, he seemed very genuine and decent, so I don't think he would turn against David without reason. Obviously, I'm at a distance and cannot say for certain, but it is looking like my defense of David Schirmer may have been misguided after all. Not much joy in admitting that, I genuinely liked the man, but if Warren is denouncing him, then that's the end from where I'm standing. Sad!
ReplyDeleteAdrian.
Anonymous 11:06 PM said...
ReplyDelete"Schirmer has gall but not balls thats why he carries a look of fear in his face. He's a guy who likes people to think he is on top of his game when it appears that couldn't be further from the truth. He has a mediation for one of his court cases today so heaven knows what crap will come out of that."
Yes, Anon, it looks like Schirmer isn't finished in court yet, and may not be for some time to come. Yet he still seems to be plugging along, sending cheery emails out to his dwindling list of followers. I noticed he hasn't blogged yet lately, though...
Anonymous 11:19 PM said...
ReplyDelete"I feel like I have been totally deceived and mislead by David Schirmer. I can no longer trust the man, not that I ever really did. What has come out has just confirmed my suspiscions all along. I feel sure he'll get his just deserts."
Anon, it looks like you're not the only person who feels deceived and mislead. Read on...
Adrian's Blog said...
ReplyDelete"Hi. I Just saw a teaser for the latest A Current Affair expose on David Schirmer and there was Warren Henningsen saying that David Schirmer doesn't keep his promises. Well, if Warren believes that David Schirmer's not the man he makes himself out to be, that changes things for me, since Warren was the guy who first contacted me and arranged for me to meet David..."
Thank you for writing in, Adrian. As much as I seem to have enjoyed snarking about David Schirmer, I'm truly sorry for your disillusionment, and for that of anyone else Schirmer has disappointed (or worse). At least you were fortunate enough to have remained at a distance from his organization.
I am looking forward to seeing what Warren had to tell ACA.
Thanks Connie. Look, I'm fine about it, you know. David Schirmer's a human being and maybe he really has screwed up badly. So, if that's the case, he's the one who'll ultimately pay the price. It doesn't change my feelings about the Secret, I have worked with Bob Proctor's materials for years to the betterment of my life and that's a great thing. I wouldn't dismiss the law of attraction because of David Schirmer's sinking reputation anymore than I'd stop believing in the law of gravity if a famous physicist got slung into jail! I think it's a shame David Schirmer's name seems to be dragging The Secret through the mud with him! Oh, well...
ReplyDeleteAdrian, if it's working for you, go for it. And while I don't believe the Law Of Attraction is a "law" akin to laws of physics (e.g., gravity), I think we do "attract" things into our lives in ways that we're not entirely aware of but with effort can take more control over.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the big criticism so many have had with The Secret was the way it over-simplified, exaggerated and mis-represented LOA. The over-emphasis on the acquisition of material goodies was another sore point with many. Then there's that whole "infomercial" format, the purpose of which was mainly to promote the talking heads featured on the film.
So even though I've devoted a lot of blog post space and discussion space to David Schirmer, he's just one blip in the big picture of anti-Secret sentiment. I'd be willing to bet that many of the Secret critics, at least the Americans, aren't even aware of Schirmer's troubles (after all, it didn't happen in the US, and we Americans sometimes tend to be shortsighted when it comes to stuff that happens in other countries).
I also know that numerous other Secret teachers have a few skeletons in their closets. Some of their misdeeds may never see the light of day, and they'll just keep on getting away with stuff. At best, most of them seem terribly ego-driven (yes, so am I, but I make no secret of it. Narcissism is part of my shtick. :-))
Further, it seems that for the past year or so, Secret producer Rhonda Byrne has done a fair job of dragging The Secret through the mud herself. She seems to be a study in hypocrisy and greed. Here's a link to one of the latest articles, in case you haven't read it:
http://tinyurl.com/6c8r3m
As you implied, the motives and deeds of self-help "leaders" may have nothing to do with the truth of their teachings, but it's often very difficult to separate the message from the messengers. If you can do it and those teachings really are making your life better, then more power to you.
Who is going to criticise anyone who finally sees the light!
ReplyDeleteAnd as much as I hate to say it, that would even include Mr David Schirmer himself. If he were to step up (yes, he seems like he's in a rather large hole right now and still digging) and take responsibility for things I'm sure the critics would be silenced but it seems that is beyond him at this point. In fact I am not convinced it is possible for a person with such an attitude. I guess I can't judge that one though and we'll have to wait and see.
Well said .....
ReplyDeleteDavid Schirmer does seem to be dragging the secret through the mud with him along with infamous Rhonda Byrnes.
What a dirty lot they are!
And to think that Schirmer thought that preaching the word of God was either a good marketing exercise to his churchy group or a good disclaimer out of judgement is nothing short of hilarious.
Well Warren Henningsen did himself proud last night in Australia when he exposed DAVID SCHIRMER for the CON and FRAUD that he is. FINALLY someone has come out from behind the curtain and said what is really going on.
ReplyDeleteThe Schirmers are FRAUDS and LIARS and it seems they have been living that way for a long time. That means that the whispers we have been hearing for a long time really are true.
The Schirmers must now be prepared to lose everything because that is what will happen and that is what people will make sure happens. They are freakin idiots and what a gall lying to the public like they have been.
Have you seen this? I have no idea who the youtuber is but its probably right on the money. I am feeling that the secret has created an enormous negative wave of disappointment around the world and the emotional damage will be catastrophic for some people.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDG0XcBNbjs&watch_response