Spiritual Growth

Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose: A Channeled Guide to Why You Are Here

by Sonia Choquette

Average Rating:

"This is another wonderful work by psychic author and teacher Sonia Choquette about learning to use your creative power to manifest, and working with Divine Law so that we may "become living expressions of Divinity".

This is the kind of book that you will buy for your friends, but you'll always hang on to your own copy. The reason being, the guidance and inspiration it offers it applies to every stage of spiritual and intuitive journey. The format of the book makes it incredibly easy to relate to and actually apply to your life, no matter if you're a beginner on the path, or spiritually advanced.

The format of the book is:

First, "The Soul Lesson" -- this is the "lecture" part of the teaching.

Secondly, following and interspersed in the teachings are Sonia's personal experiences with family, friends and her clients as parables to illustrate the lesson and written in italics to offset the different voices. Sonia is refreshingly honest about her own journey, and where she feels she needs to be more diligent in her own soul work. She's one of us.

Third, we're offered ways to discern where we are on the path with regard to that particular soul lesson. We're given examples to help us understand if we're beginners on the path ("Student"); the intermediate ("Apprentice"); advanced students ("Journeyman") or in the final stages of our path ("On Your Way to Mastering".)

Fourth, depending on the above, we're given practical "homework" for ways to apply the lesson in our lives.

Each chapter is ended with the Soul Lesson, and a statement proclaiming the Soul Purpose of that lesson.

This book mingles the metaphysical laws of manifesting, with the element of divinity, spiritual growth and a deeper purpose for manifesting.

Seekers and who find that other materials on the Law of Attraction come up short with regard to their spiritual path, or why to manifest in the first place, will be very happy to add "Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose" to their permanent library."

Publisher: Hay House | More reviews: amazon.com

Moving On: Creating Your House of Belonging with Simple Abundance

by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Average Rating:

"I needed to declutter thirty years of collecting books, cds, clothes, appliances, knick knacks - you name it, I never gave or threw anythng away. I started by boxing up new and in good condition items to take to the Salvation Army every Saturday. I donated thousands of books to my public library. I sent newly dry cleaned clothes and unworn shoes to my local Dress for Success woman's charity. As I decluttered, I spent a month writing down every day what I used and wore - clothes, music, books, appliances - everything I did and used went into a diary. At the end of the month I was shocked to find that I used less than 20% of the music I owned, clothes I wore, appliances I had, etc.

I needed a way to find out if I used these items because they were convenient, or because they were truly my favorites - things I loved and that nourished my soul.

Most of the decluttering and get organized books give you steps to get the physical clutter out the way. Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out and Karen Kingston's Clearing the Clutter help you uncover the psychological reasons why we hold onto clutter. They are great at helping you clear your mental blocks to getting and staying decluttered and organized.

Moving On by Sarah Ban Breathnach takes it to the next level. The author helps you slow down and make a soul nourishing connection to your home and possessions. Using the same format as her bestselling Simple Abundance and Something More, she leads you step by step to turn your home from neatly organized to a sanctuary of soul contentment for you and your family.

Moving On is part memoir, part soul nourishing exercises to coax you into re-connecting to what you love most in your home and life. This is just what I needed in this fast paced world. Like most people, I have a frenzeid commute to work and I am in the office long hours. I spend most of my weekend running errands. I have very little time/waking hours at home. I need that time to be in a place that rejuvenates me and recharges my soul. With this new book by Sarah Ban Breathnach, I feel I can create my home haven, my soul sanctuary with relative ease.

If you loved her other books, you will really appreciate this new entry in the Simple Abundance series. It is a soul nourishing way to declutter, stay organized and enjoy the things in your home and life that you cherish and love the most.

I also recommend all books by Karen Kingston, Julie Morgenstern, Victoria Moran and Alexandra Stoddard."

Publisher: Meredith Books | More reviews: amazon.com

The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom

by Angeles Arrien

Average Rating:

"I have been listening to many of these Sounds True and similar audiocassettes recently, looking for good meditation material. Fortunately, since the exploration is pretty hit-or-miss for me, the Seattle library has a lot of them (including this one), so I am able to preview them. For my taste, The Second Half of Life is better in its intention than its execution. Overall, for my money, a more successful work (also available both at Amazon and the Seattle library) is A Woman's Spiritual Retreat: Teaching, Meditations, and Rituals to Celebrate Your Authentic Feminine Wisdom, by Joan Borysenko. Although it focuses primarily on women's wisdom and growth, as opposed to second-half-of-life wisdom and growth, it hits a lot of the same notes and also draws on myth and ritual. (Another, much shorter work in a similar vein that I also found more successful is the meditation CD, Celtic Spirit Meditations, by Mara Freeman--also available at Amazon and reviewed by me here.)

Certainly, the intention of The Second Half of Life is to help people do some positive growth in their later years, drawing on wisdom of many cultures, and as the positive reviews attest, it does accomplish this very well for some people. However, for me, Ms. Arrien picks some good myths, tales and themes for her foundation, but then doesn't do enough substantive and rigorous work with them. The basic pattern (except for the Preferential Shapes exercise, see below) is to tell a tale or introduce a character or concept, give her interpretation (which often seems either too simplistic and schematic or too arbitrary, as other reviewers have noted), and then to say, "So where am I with __________ in my life?" [Fill in the blank with the theme or symbol just discussed.] The psychologizing offered, although constructive, seems--well, mostly self-evident. To someone who grew up loving much of the original source material in its pure, story form, some of the interpretations actually diminish the stories' inherent symbolic meaning.

I did find both the description and the interpretation of the Nine Muses pretty good, and was pleased to come across a theme I'd been looking for but hadn't found elsewhere (except in Layne Redmond's wonderful music CD Invoking the Muse, also available on Amazon). The Pandora's Box story has an interesting comparison of this myth in different cultures (including what was left in the bottom of the box, according to the different cultures). The Preferential Shapes section gives you something specific to do, an exercise with your preferences for five universal shapes. I found this exercise to provide some helpful insights, albeit in a fortune-telling kind of way. The 12 Labors of Hercules got a retelling that was somehow both cursory and redundant, and the interpretations here felt especially arbitrary and forced to me. Like another reviewer, I found the Eight Gates rather suspect in how Ms. Arrien drew together elements supposedly from many sources to arrive at this particular interpretation (and I also could have done without the gnomes!), although there is some good material about initiation and transition here. Overall, there seems to be a lot of focus on schematic, numbered, arbitrary hierarchies.

I also found the material overall to be too repetitive and slow-moving, and like another reviewer with the same problem, was irked by the verbal delivery (the uneven rhythm, the tone, and a tendency to do repetitions of phrases that did not feel naturally emphatic and became quite irritating). It would be nice if Amazon would provide not only the Search Inside This Book function for books on tape (sadly missing here), so that people can get an idea of the specific content and tone, but also audioclips for books on tape, as they do for music CDs. These audiocassettes are often quite pricey, and long, and one's personal reaction to the voice of the narrator is pretty important. The Sounds True website does have audio samples for many of their authors' items, including this one. "

Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated | More reviews: amazon.com

Instant Enlightenment: Fast, Deep, and Sexy

by David Deida

Average Rating:

"David Deida is best known for "bringing sexy back" to contemporary spirituality, and now in his latest offering he's bringing real life back. Instant Enlightenment contains a vast array of subjects that other `spiritual' teachings fear to touch - oral sex, swearing, car crashes, death, masturbation, to name a few. These taboo areas get the much-needed shot in the arm they deserve. Each chapter is poetically precise, humorous, and challenges the reader to bring their awareness to life experiences that would ordinarily make us contract and shut down. It is in these moments that our separation to what is gets easily forgotten. Can you remember to stay open and loving in the midst of extreme suffering - and banality? This is the core of Deida's teaching: feel open to what you resist, deny and recoil from. What could simply look like a throwaway, aphoristic pocket book, turns out to be a whole lot deeper. The way to read this book is by randomly dipping into any chapter, reading it slowly and contemplating its content. Deida's words and enlightenment will undo you - instantly."

Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated | More reviews: amazon.com

Breaking the Chain of Low Self-Esteem

by Marilyn Sorensen

Average Rating:

"This book is an absolute must-read for EVERYONE. For those with low self-esteem (LSE) it explains exactly what LSE is, how you got it, and what you can do about it. You will learn that you are not alone and that LSE is a common problem and that there are a lot of people who are suffering from the same pain, anger, and hurt that you are. I have LSE and I was completely amazed when I read this book. I thought that if men were from Mars and women were from Venus, that I must be from Pluto. I felt as if I was completely alone in the world and that nobody understood anything I was going through. I was shocked as I read through this book and realized how much the author truly understood LSE and exactly how it has been negatively affecting my life. As I read through the various examples in the book I was just floored by how accurately the examples mirrored so many things that have happened in my own life. This book will not only benefit those with LSE, but also people with healthy self-esteem because reading this book will enable you to spot the signs of LSE in others so that you can be better prepared to comfort and deal with the person who has LSE. This book talks about how LSE is far too often misdiagnosed as depression, social anxiety disorder, or some other mental problem. So many people who have LSE are misdiagnosed and consequently put on drugs which only mask the symptoms of the problem, rather than addressing the core problem directly. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those with LSE. The author has a very clear and easy to understand writing style and you will be amazed at the insight and understanding the author has in regards to LSE. If you're like me, once you read the first page you won't be able to put this book down. For those with LSE I also highly recommend getting the workbook that goes along as a companion to the book."

Publisher: Wolf Publishing Company | More reviews: amazon.com

The Power of Joy: How the Deliberate Pursuit of Pleasure

by Christiane Northrup

Average Rating:

"A very enjoyable and encouraging book. Her advice and witty presentation is true Northrup."

Publisher: Hay House | More reviews: amazon.com

Remembering the Future: The Path to Recovering Intuition

by Colette Baron-Reid

Average Rating:

"First, just buy this book. I am an avid fan of just about anything metaphysical and I have read oh so many books about different people's spiritual paths and how to develop your own inner strengths, and enjoyed them all for different reasons! But none of them reached out and grabbed me like Colette's book has.

Her personal story is so profound, you can tell she shares from deep in her heart and it just hits you with its directness. I enjoy reading about people who were "born aware" and saw and experienced wondrous events as children, but cannot always relate directly to them. Colette's story many, many of us will be able to relate to on many levels. I found myself shaking my head and saying, "Me too" over and over! The book is a great read just for her sharing of her own amazing life...but there is so much more.

On to how to increase your own awareness. GREAT exercises and methods for opening up. Colete has a unique, funny style of writing and her personality GLOWS from the pages. I knew she was a gifted intuitive and speakert (oh, yeah, and singer), but now I know she is a gifted writer!

I know there are a lot of metaphysical books out there, but this one is one that you will laugh and cry your way through and refer to over and over and over. Hey, for the price of lunch you can grab this book and expand your capabilities and who the heck knows, maybe even open up YOUR intuition!

If you are not familiar with Colette's work, visit [...]. "

Publisher: Hay House | More reviews: amazon.com

Huna: Ancient Hawaiian Secrets for Modern Living

by Serge Kahili King

The ancient wisdom of Hawai'i has been guarded for centuries -- handed down through lines of kinship to form the tradition of Huna. Dating back to the time before the first missionary presence arrived in the islands, the tradition of Huna is more than just a philosophy of living -- it is intertwined and deeply connected with every aspect of Hawaiian life. Blending ancient Hawaiian wisdom with modern practicality, Serge Kahili King imparts the philosophy behind the beliefs, history, and foundation of Huna. More important, King shows readers how to use Huna philosophy to attain both material and spiritual goals. To those who practice Huna, there is a deep understanding about the true nature of life -- and the real meaning of personal power, intention, and belief. Through exploring the seven core principles around which the practice revolves, King passes onto readers a timeless and powerful wisdom.

Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words | More reviews: amazon.com

Don't Give It Away! : A Workbook of Self-Awareness and Self-Affirmations for Young Women

by Iyanla Vanzant

Average Rating:

"I THINK I.V. IS AN EXCELLENT WRITER! ONE DAY JUST LOOKING THROGH THE BOOK LIST OF TEENAGE BOOKS I STUMBLED UPON A BOOK THAT CAUGHT MY EYE WHEN I TOLD MY MOM THE TITLE DON'T GIVE IT AWAY. THAT NIGHT WE WENT TO THE BOOK STORE AND PURCHASED THE BOOK. AS I STARTED TO READ,IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE A STRONG BLACK 12 YEAR OLD GIRL IT ALSO GAVE ME MORE SELF-CONFIDENCE. I THINK THAT MS.VANZANT IS AN SUPER,SUPER WRITER NOT ONLY FOR TEENS BUT ALSO FOR ADULTS. WHEN I GOT TO THE PART ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES TO EXPRESS YOUR CERTAIN FEELINGS IT GOT MORE AND MORE INTERESTING. I THINK GUYS SHOULD ALSO READ THIS BOOK FOR TWO REASONS, IT IS INSPIRATIONAL ANDIT CAN TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND. HOPE TO SEE ANOTHER BOOK FOR US TEENS IN YEAR 2000."

Publisher: Fireside | More reviews: amazon.com

Dancing the Dream: The Seven Sacred Paths Of Human Transformation (Religion and Spirituality)

by Jamie Sams

Average Rating:

"Not long ago, I spoke with a long time friend and asked her why it was that I seemed to go through disciplines so quickly when I was looking for something, usually an answer to a question. A well recognized professional, her response was direct. "You're looking for the magic bulllet, and you won't stop until you find it...if you find it." So, on that note, I discovered, Dancing The Dream, and I began to read. When I reached the midway point I put the book down and began again. This has to be one of the most interesting and thought inspiring pieces of Wisdom Literature I have ever read. Simply put, read the book. Jamie Sams does not lecture. She speaks. She isn't a guru. She teaches by example. She includes successes, failures, foibles and her personal experiences.She uses simple language to guide and direct. But she never talks down to the initiate. She emphasises personal responsibility and provides the tools to develop the needed strengths. If the way of our ancestors is your way, and particularly if you are unable to connect with a techer, or a teacher you trust, start here. I promise, you will find your way in direct proportion to your faithfulness on the path and Jamie will guide you all the way. Read the book, read the book, read the book!"

Publisher: HarperOne | More reviews: amazon.com