I'm on the run again, but wanted to share a few snippets.Talk about rising from adversity: David Schirmer, Aussie star of The Secret, has been to Disney World and back – and to hear him tell it, he's living a more abundant life than ever, despite the naysayers and negative Nellies who tried to bring his empire down with contrived scandals. He's living high on the hog and having the time of his life – a true example of the Law Of Attraction in action. Furthermore, he says he's proud to be portrayed chumming around with the likes of Mickey and Goofy, as he considers them to be fine role models for success in business.
He even borrowed a doctored image from yours truly to promote his latest seminar, which is to be held at one of Australia's swankiest hotels. Do I mind that he borrowed without giving me credit? No, not a bit, especially since I borrowed from him in the first place to get an image of his face, and from Disney for the rest of the picture. In fact, I'm delighted to have been able to help out, and as it happens, I have created some other images that he is welcome to borrow and use as well.
What can I say? I believe in sharing.
Year of the Kat
I'm still getting feedback on the Kat-and-Clara controversy that was first introduced on this blog a couple of months ago. Kat is a channeler who made her channeling debut on The Secret forum, but soon decided to go off on her own. I've been a bit snarky about Kat and her pal Clara. One defender of Kat has sent me the same comment a couple of different times in the past few days, but has asked that I not publish it, so I won't. But the essence of the message is that Kat is the real deal, because she has never been wrong about anything yet, according to this person. This individual also expressed the opinion that I am mean, nasty, childish, and downright unfair, not only to Kat but to all abuse victims, for suggesting that Kat's channeling might be the product of a troubled mind caused by abuse in her past.
Just sharing another opinion from the other side...
The Beatles' song "Across The Universe," which happens to be the official song of this blog, by virtue of being one of my favorite songs of all time, celebrates its fortieth (!) birthday this year. And what greater way to celebrate this momentous occasion – and my exquisite taste in music – than for that song to be blasted off into deep space! In a further nod to my blog and me, the movie Across The Universe, a musical tribute to The Beatles and the late 1960s, will be released on DVD in the U.S. today.
I like the Beatles' version of "Across The Universe," of course, but I also like some of the more recent versions, both of which I've provided links to previously. The first is Fiona Apple’s cover of the song, which was featured in the soundtrack of one of my favorite movies, Pleasantville.
Then there is Rufus Wainwright’s version.
Play them both together backwards, and you'll find a secret message about Paul and a dead walrus. Or something like that.
Schirmer or Kat it makes no difference really, your blog is interesting, thought provoking and even a little controversial some times which we all enjoy. Hell they think they can say whatever they like, do whatever they like, claim to be whatever they like so come to think of it I'm gonna do that too. I wouldn't trust Schirmer with my money, my life or my wife and as for Kat, keep channelling love it'll keep ya'all out of mischief but just don't expect us to believe it. That Schirmer guy has a serious dose of egoism going on as well as narcissism.
ReplyDeleteLOL! The photo credit is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteAt least he has a sense of humor left.
You know, you have a nice little art collection going there. Copyright 'em and sell 'em. Think of the cool T-shirts, coffee mugs, hats, calendars...
http://www.cafepress.com/
The channeling craze and all it's occult silliness started off with theosophy- in it's modern form anyway.
ReplyDeleteTheosophy is an outgrowth of freemasonry.
Its avowed aim is to create a world religion to go with a world government.
It seems to me that all this channeling stuff is there, for the most part, to soften people up, confuse them, and make them easier to rule. Of course there have been mediums since forever, but you can see the theosophy themes churned out over and over.
What say ye?
hohahe have to agree with you. All this new age self help personal development personal growth stuff has been around for eons but what I find incredible is that it's being regurgitated at a point when the US economy is seriously in trouble. Is this a coincidence or is our time over? There are lessons in history, is this one of them? As for the two people mentioned well they are just little people really and just trying to make themselves appear much larger than life lets them. Sad really how some people need to be noticed to feel good about themselves then there are those who are genuinely doing well and have the runs on the board to prove it but say nothing. They only get noticed because someone else brings them to attention. I believe in Karma and we'll see just how believing some of these people are or is it just the $$'s thats driving them?
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have learnt about this guy David Schirmer is that his ego will outlive him its so big. If the content of his material is really that good why in Gods good name do you need to hold events at Palazzo Versace the most expensive hotel in Australia unless of course he wants a free weekend on everyones money because more than likely he's the only one attending who probably can afford to stay there (and even that is questionable). He can ONLY be thinking about himself because the amount the guy is asking for his tickets, you add a few nights of accommodation, the meals, drinks etc. onto that and you got yourself a very expensive self help weekend with a guy with no qualifications, questionable credibility, few morals and intent on manipulating you to buy everything he's got to offer whether you need it or not. That is an outrage in anyones money, the guy has got to have a pretty damn inflated ego.
ReplyDeleteI love the Beatles and keep up the mean, nasty, childish and unfair afterall the only time some of these people care about you or what you say is when you disagree with them.
Jake, Lana, HHH, Julian & George: thanks for the comments... I will reply in more detail when I get back home. Ron and I are in Dallas with a client, and I can barely type on this ancient notebook. But I *can* hit the "Publish" key, so keep those comments coming.
ReplyDeleteI too have an ancient notebook.
ReplyDeleteIt's an Isembard Kingdom Brunel 'Empires Champion Port-a-Matic'.
It weighs 3000lb and you have to feed it coal every half hour, but the brasswork is fantastic! Of course, I pay a small Indian boy to hit the publish key for me.
I am currently using it to type up my latest pamphlet,
'Thoughts upon the Caste System of the Hindoos of India, and Their Relevence to the Governance of the Peoples of the Commonwealth'
More tea colonel?
Also of, course, best wishes to SchmidtKaye & co.
ReplyDeleteJulian,
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of lesson in history?
""Kovelan Bangaru was an ugly and repulsive man who was ever-ready to cheat almost everybody - his investors, his colleagues, his staff, his financiers, even his wife. He looked like a crook and he acted like a crook.""
ReplyDeleteSound familiar?
and theres more ...
ReplyDelete""The reality was that Bangaru simply used the investors' money to build his lavish lifestyle.
Now, in case you think Bangaru's victims were stupid, don't. Evil is very seductive. And Bangaru is very evil.
Today Kovelan Bangaru is in a Sydney jail after being extradited back to Australia. Last Friday, February 1, he pleaded guilty to 11 criminal charges of fraud involving $26 million. This Friday, February 8, he will appear in court for a date to be set for his sentencing.
But none of this helps his victims. They are still suffering. Several are still fighting to save their homes...""
Coward bastards who do everything for their own personal gain only who in the end get exactly what they deserve ..... so....
LOL that is an hilarious post. Don't know the guy but it sure paints a pretty gross picture. Perhaps Kat is channeling Schirmer or the other way around.
ReplyDeleteFound this quoted on another site
ReplyDelete"DEFINITION OF DELUSION
“A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everybody else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary”
Might this just explain the problem here.
Yeah, Joe... in fact, that could explain most of what I write about on this blog.
ReplyDeleteSchirmer doesn't seem to know when the piss is being taken out on him. The guy seems to be completely deluded and void of a cracker of ethics.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he's not deluded, Brian; maybe he's just banking on his ability to delude other folks.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting comments off another site about Mr David Schirmer.
ReplyDelete“If there is a loophole in a weak law, greed will fill it”
“Whether they are legal or moral crimes, they are still crimes”.
I somehow am guessing that Mr Schirmer would tell this person that they are thinking way too negative, that they should look at the good he's done and brush the rest under the rug. Ouch, not a smart thing to say to the public if you've screwed them over bigtime.
Those are excellent comments, Curley, and they could apply pretty much across the board in the selfish-help / New-Wage field.
ReplyDeleteLOL do the likes of Schirmer have any morals to be a criminal with?
ReplyDeletePublic Information says that Bob Proctor is suing David and Lorna Schirmer for misleading and deceptive conduct. Imagine that, one of THE SECRET teachers being accused of misleading and deceptive conduct. Now that HAS to make good news! For these people to claim to be someone who can sort out your head so to speak, then they sure as hell should not be attracting accusations of misleading and deceptive conduct. Where the hell does it leave the people who have found themselves caught up in all the crap that these people actually believe is ok? I never did like the Aussie guy, he seemed far too smarmy and his contribution was pathetic anyway. The Secret would be far better without him.
ReplyDeleteFound this on another site and thought it was rather good:
ReplyDeleteSchirmer - "Your biggest hurdle are your lies, then comes your ego, then last but by no means least your pride."
Hmmmm, could it be so? HELL YES!
To my most recent commenters: Thanks for your input. I'm sorry for the delay in publishing and replying to your comments, but I just got high-speed Internet here at The Edge of Nowhere, and I have some catching up to do. :-)
ReplyDeleteFor a couple of months I'd heard rumblings that the honeymoon was over between Schirmer and Bob Proctor (who himself is probably not the most sterling character, but he is more famous than Schirmer and has a reputation, of sorts, to protect). Anyway, it seems that those "rumblings" I heard were accurate.
As I've said before, though, Schirmer (and Proctor) are far from the only Secret "stars" whose conduct and ethics are not all that admirable. But it doesn't matter. Although I agree with you, Fiona, that "The Secret" might have been marginally better without Schirmer, the whole "Secret" franchise has(in my view) always been mostly about making money for its producers and some of its "stars" by promoting magical thinking and feel-good platitudes.
And Curley, that Schirmer quote seems deliciously ironic, doesn't it?
I just read your "Wrath of the Secretrons" article on CSICOP, which lead me to this blog which I'm liking very much.
ReplyDeleteI'm embarrassed to say that I was once a New Ager, and though What the Bleep hooked me a bit I had thankfully gotten wise by the time The Secret showed up.
I just wanted to thank you for your efforts toward exposing the emptiness of some of the popular pseudo-philosophies out there today. It does make a difference.
And the term "New Wage" just tickles me. Mind if I borrow it? :)
Hey Julian, Selfish Help and Personally Developing stuff is all about regurgitation. Its not only regurgitated crap, it is also very agitating crap. I am yet to see a self help person who claims to be a teacher who is genuinely wealthy. Not one of them appears in the worlds wealthiest individuals or even remotely close to the top in fact I think the likes of Schirmers crap is so flawed that he has put his family so far in debt to LOOK good that it's ridiculous. Could be wrong but I reckon my guess is pretty accurate because I've been doing some homework. And it's all because of some deluded theory that if you just go and get whatever you want and the funds to pay for it will just manifest somehow. I mean how sickly deluded can it get.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that that is one of the most scary things about the secret and some peoples interpretation of it's principles. Some including Schirmer have been encouraging people to buy whatever they want and if they want it enough the money will just manifest to pay for it. That is all very serious and deluded codswallop and should be seen as a very dangerous and falsified way of obtaining your lifes desires. I can imagine most if not all of the people who took that advice would now be in serious trouble financially possibly even including the schirmers. I think this sort of advice (and it is advice because they are getting up in front of people and thereby forcing their opinion on the listeners because that is what they believe to be right) should be investigated because of the extremely dangerous nature of the advice. Is this an issue for the new era of governments? Should they be enforcing regulations saying that those involved in the New Wage bidness should be suitably QUALIFIED to be able to offer such advice, much the same as the financial industry is now regulated for the same reasons. I see it as an extension of that. Lets face it you can't be a Dr without the appropriate qualifications, nor a dean, nor a teacher so why should these people be permitted to get up on stage and state that what they are saying is fact and that if you don't follow it you will have a rotten life and it's all your fault. I mean how DAMAGING is that?
ReplyDeleteThis guy has a problem called "entitlement attitude", it is very dangerous and has only one end. That is, what we are seeing happen right now.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I apologize for taking so long to respond to comments... I'm still catching up.
ReplyDeleteSkeptic, thank you for your kind words. Don't be embarrassed by your former infatuation with "What The Bleep." I actually bought the DVD myself (before reading much about it), thinking it would have something new to say and wouldn't be just more rehashed Quantum Mysticism. Ron and I couldn't even make it half way through the DVD. I still have it, though, as testament to my momentary folly.
And you're welcome to borrow my term, "New Wage." Others have! Anyway, thanks again for your comments.
To the "Anon" whose comment immediately follows that of "Skeptic": Right on. A few people are getting very rich indeed by creating or nurturing the delusions of the masses.
ReplyDeleteTo the second Anon after "Skeptic": You're so right about how some of the gurus encourage reckless spending. All too often, that magical talk of "manifesting" new things in one's life completely ignores the economic realities.
ReplyDeleteI'm of two minds about the issue of credentials and qualification. On the one hand, as a Libertarian sort (more or less) I don't necessarily think that more rules and regulations are the answer. And I don't think that advice is harmful or meaningless if it comes from the lips of someone who doesn't have an advanced degree from an accredited institution. Further, a fair amount of harmful or meaningless advice has come from the lips of those who *are* properly credentialed.
On the other hand, I do agree that a lot of damage is done by these New-Wage gurus. Legally they may have their butts covered by the fact that they deal in abstract matters that aren't governed by strict laws. And most of them make sure their web sites, books, and other products have appropriate (though usually inconspicuous) disclaimers.
I do think that one answer lies in the encouragement of critical-thinking skills, so more folks can recognize b.s. when they see or hear it. That may be the best remedy of all.
John, you hit it right on the head: that "entitlement attitude" seems very prevalent among the New-Wage gurus and their followers.
ReplyDeleteSchirmer has appeared on ACA again and this time it was PERFECT! The guy is a loser, he has some kid doing his security stuff now and looks like a frightened little fat weazel snaking his way around the place to avoid getting caught. Look at this link, he got poll position on the ACA website - good work. http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/
ReplyDeleteBill, word has it that the "kid" acting as Schirmer's "security" force is actually one of his own sons, a lad of barely eighteen years. The family that preys together, etc. ...
ReplyDeleteI have done my own little investigation on the Schirmers and I can say that I feel sick at what I read. It is all public knowledge all you need to do is do a search on the federal court website for the name Schirmer and it's all there in black and white. The lot of them are sick bastards and now I understand why so many people have felt threatened to speak up previously. It is great to see strength in numbers because this should have happened a long time ago. I'm right behind the victims all the way and I would not put it past David Schirmer to express his anger in more ways than smacking the camera out of the reporters hand.
ReplyDeleteWell, Anon, in the interest of fairness, I don't know if one could cast that judgment on all of the Schirmers, but there do seem to be a few dysfunctional branches on the family tree (some will say that's putting it mildly). And I guess this is a good time to remind everyone once again that the investigations into Schirmer's various business dealings are still ongoing. From what I have seen, Schirmer continues to claim his innocence, or, alternatively, to ignore questions about the allegations. And as the recent ACA segment shows, he is getting increasingly surly about it...
ReplyDeleteCheck out the Australian Federal Court order on the case between Proctor and Schirmer. The results speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhat excellent news - PROCTOR AND SCHIRMER have divorced.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a divorce in the land of the Secretrons. Not much love left is there and I wonder why Rhonda Byrnes has to say about that. I wonder if Ms Byrnes will sue David Schirmer for misleading and deceptive conduct also since he USED the secret and lied to the public about who he was.
[Note: If this comment looks familiar, it's because I also wrote it in the "comments" section of another post, "Journey To Fantasyland." My reason for doing this is that the Anon contributor whom I address sent his/her comment to both posts.]
ReplyDeleteThank you to my most recent Anon contributors for your comments. I would also like to acknowledge the receipt of another anonymous comment I did not publish because it contained some comments about alleged sexual dalliances and might possibly be construed as libelous. The information in that comment is consistent with info I have heard from various other sources -- like many of these situations, it seems to be one of those things that "everybody knows" -- but I have to maintain some standards around here. I hope you understand, Anon. Rest assured, however, that I am keeping my ears open regarding this matter.
What a divorce in sceretland SHIIIIIIITTT!
ReplyDeleteIt was, apparently, an ill-fated "marriage" from the beginning...
ReplyDeleteBe warned everyone, David Schirmers new company name is
ReplyDeletePERISSOS INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD