The Secret’s manifesting doctrine drew devotees across all taste cultures.

Evidence

There was a curious link between Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga, Insane Clown Posse, and YouTuber Michelle Phan: a book called The Secret. This 2006 self-help tome advocated a life strategy called “manifesting”: focusing positive thoughts on a desired outcome to make it happen. This worked, according to the book’s Australian author, Rhonda Byrne, because of a scientific “Law of Attraction.” “Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency,” Byrne asserted. “As you think thoughts, they are sent out into the Universe, and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency.” She cited biblical figures such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as early adopters of manifesting, claiming that they enjoyed “more affluent lifestyles than many present-day millionaires could conceive of.” — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 595

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines manifesting and the Law of Attraction as the era’s signature magical-thinking doctrine.
• CANDY: Byrne claiming biblical figures as ‘early adopters’ is a delightful absurdity.