| John Demartini has written somewhere between 40 and 250 books. Sure, it seems like a generous margin for error, but when your work has reached over 1.5 billion people, you can’t blame a guy for being a little vague on the specifics of his publication resumé.
Demartini was already basking in world-class renown before he participated in The Secret, a film project put together by Rhonda Byrne. The film deals with the "Law of Attraction," a semi-mystical phenomenon that boils down to the idea that our emotions and inner thoughts determine – or "attract" – real-life events and developments. Want a dirt bike? Focus your mind; it shall be yours.
The film and its subsequent spin-offs have been phenomenally successful – aided, no doubt, by their generous coverage on Oprah, Ellen and Larry King Live. As I write this, the book’s hardcover edition is the #2 top seller on Amazon.com, nudged out only by the 7th Harry Potter book. Demartini is one of over 25 personal development experts interviewed for the project. "We didn’t all necessarily call it ‘The Secret,’" says Demartini, "but the principles are the same for all of us. It’s about having a clear focus on your vision, to articulate it and affirm it and ensure that it manifests."
The idea that inner life influences outer life, or that goals can be achieved through determination and confidence, doesn’t seem secretive or even particularly new, but Demartini defends the film’s title. "When I’m in front of a crowd and I ask, ‘How many of you have any desire to be wealthy?’, 99.9 per cent of the audience puts up their hands. Then I ask, ‘How many of you feel that you’ve achieved the wealth you envision?’ 98 per cent of people put their hands down. In that respect, it is a secret. Those people don’t recognize the forms of wealth they already have, and they don’t understand why their desires aren’t manifesting. You have to be realistic in what you’re going after: something that’s meaningful to you, that you’re willing to work towards and stay focused on."
Demartini knows all about focus – he’s been pursuing a single-minded mission for 34 years. When he was 17, shortly after a near-death experience, he met a teacher who changed his life. "With his help, I saw a vision of my life," he says. "I wanted to become a master teacher, healer and philosopher. I wanted to travel the world, set foot in every country and share my research findings. And I wanted to be rewarded for it, to live an absolutely fabulous, outrageous life as a result. Today, I have homes around the world. I live on a yacht. I have a vast fortune. And I know it’s because of learning The Secret."
The latest publication in his staggering list of ongoing projects is The Heart of Love, a book with undeniably lofty goals. "I teach people about the so-called soulmate," he says. "I teach them about relationship fantasies, how to meet people, how to have relationships with higher quality people. I address sexuality, economics, death, loss and abandonment. I go through everything imaginable relating to relationships in a practical, realistic, no-bullshit kind of approach."
Demartini will be in town on March 9 for a 6:30 p.m., $25 lecture, Master "The Secret," at the University of Calgary (Murray Fraser Hall 162), followed by a book signing. Then, at 8:00 p.m., there’s a free screening of The Secret.
Thursday is International Women’s Day and there are at least two literary-related celebrations. The first is Women Say So!, a free potluck with speakers Autumn Eaglespeaker and Sable Sweetgrass, poets Sarah Murphy and Carole Thorpe, films from the herland Film and Video Festival’s In:Camera Workshop, mask and movement by Women, Creativity and Political Voice, music by The Consonant C and The Cardea Chorus, and more. It takes place March 8 at 5:30 p.m., at the Carpenter’s Union Hall.
Then, a little farther south, there’s Roxfam, an event in support of poverty-stricken women organized by the newly-revived Calgary chapter of Oxfam Canada. There will be poetry by Shone Abet and Sheri-D Wilson, talks by Louissee Gallagher of the Calgary Drop-In Centre Society and Doreen Spence of the Canadian Indigenous Women’s Resource Initiative, performance by Urban Curvz Theatre and music by Seven Story Redhead and the apparently-tireless Consonant C. The action kicks off at 7:00 p.m. in the Marquee Room, upstairs at the Uptown Stage and Screen.
The role of underwear in shaping our modern society is often underrated, but Nancy Millar is out to address our shocking ignorance toward the undergarments that brought us to where we are today. How did long underwear allow western expansion? How did women waddle cross-country in their multiple layers? Find out as Millar reads from The Unmentionable History of the West on March 8 at 7:00 p.m., at McNally Robinson.
Joining the esteemed ranks of flywheel, Single Onion, Red Mile Revenge and Thought Express, there’s a new reading series in town – Soundlines. Taking place the second Monday of every month, this series is all about interaction, collaboration and diversity. Its first batch of readers includes James Dangerous, Jocelyn Grossé, Kirk Ramdath, Jennifer Roberts, Rhett Soveran and Micah Stone, with music by Jole Danielson. They’ll be at the Studio Café on March 12 at 7:00 p.m. For more information on the series, visit www.soundlines.org.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more influential name in local theatre than Sharon Pollock, and the acclaimed playwright/actor/director is giving two talks at the university this week, both on March 13. She first speaks at 12:30 p.m. in Science B 148, then again at 3:30 p.m. in Social Sciences 012.
If you’re down at the university already, you may want to think about checking out the Free Exchange Conference, put together by grad students and featuring Michele Hardy, Jaspreet Singh, Fred Stenson, Timothy Taylor and a whole schwack of student presentations. The conference takes place March 14 to 17. For more information, visit www.english.ucalgary.ca/FreeExchange. |
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