Rhonda Byrne got very very rich by writing a book called The Secret, which contains much pseudoscientific/ mystical horse shit. Why can’t Rhonda Byrne get THE SECRET to work for herself?

The Secret, an Oprah-flogged book which has sold 19 million copies (not exaggerating although I assure you that I wish I were), posits the existence of a universal “law of attraction” which means that “as we think and feel, a corresponding frequency is sent out into the universe that attracts back to us events and circumstances on that same frequency.” So if you want great things to happen to you, just think positive thoughts, and they will. If you believe this horse shit, well, I have something worthless to sell you for an inflated price (a copy of the book The Secret).

In any case, the Wall Street Journal reports that Secret-whisperer Rhonda Byrne (pictured) put her palatial California home up for sale for $23.5 million last year. But now—for some reason which no universal law can explain—she has been forced to lower the price by 20 percent, because the house didn’t sell. Rhonda... why didn’t you use THE SECRET? She has an answer, naturally:

Ms. Byrne is known for her philosophy that visualizing a goal until one absolutely believes it is true can make that goal a reality. She said she could have used that principle to attain her original asking price, if she’d made it a major priority and “put in the time and energy.” Instead, she said she gave a lot of her energy to the in-development film version of “The Secret,” which she is co-producing, because “it’s going to make a big difference in people’s lives.”

Okay, sure.

If only Karl Popper had Oprah on his side.

[Photo: AP]