Spiritual Living

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

by Wayne W. Dyer

Average Rating:

"We're all so busy these days. And distracted. Who has time to pause and ponder on much of anything beyond what we're grabbing for dinner after school or work? That is, if we even have time for dinner. So at first glance this almost-400 page book with its obvious philosophical leanings appears a little daunting. But dig in and you'll quickly see that it is not a book to be read in one concentrated time period, but rather taken a step at a time as a meditative process.

Each chapter is based on one of the 81 verses of the ancient Chinese wisdom and philosophy of the Tao Te Ching and beckons the reader to stop and think before moving on with his/her busy life. Dr. Dyer studied numerous translations of the Tao, meditated on his own interpretations, and observed how each verse influenced his thinking (and life) for the day. Each chapter begins with the actual verse from the Tao, followed by a title which summarizes the chief learning, followed by Dr. Dyer's comments and interpretations. Each chapter ends with a short instruction on a way to "Do the Tao Now." The instructions are deceptively simple ranging from thoughts to hold in your mind to actions you can take. Some actions can take all day (such as a suggested fast for a day); others can be done in minutes, such as expressing kindness toward another.

The notion that changing your thinking can change your life is found in almost all cultures and writings since early civilizations. This philosophy is at the heart of the most successful psychological treatments for depression, anxiety, and other disorders. The Tao provides one more example of this powerful philosophy, and Dr. Dyer nicely walks us through it.

If I had to summarize this book in one word it would be "peace." There is something about the writing which demands that you slow down, focus for a moment on the present, and take just a few minutes to detach from the chaos of your life into a true "moment of Zen." Keep it by your bed, read a chapter before going to sleep or when you first wake up and notice what begins to change in your life.

REVIEW UPDATE: As I continue to spend time with this book, I continue to be impressed. Because each chapter is only 4-6 pages long, my initial impression was that one could read a chapter a night. And you can- but the thoughts in each chapter are so intriguing and interesting that I find I wanted to linger over them for several days. This book deserves to be savored. There's also an interesting mystery in the epilogue. Dr. Dyer closes with a brief discussion of a personal incident that very much challenged his beliefs and work with the Tao. He writes, "I was presented with the greatest personal challenge of my life." He goes on to describe his great hurt and pain. I assume he had his reasons for not explaining the event in greater detail, but it leaves the reader wanting to know more- and specifically how he applied to Tao to overcome his feelings. Perhaps he will enlighten us in a future book or CD.
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Publisher: Hay House | More reviews: amazon.com

The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing

by Esther Hicks

Average Rating:

"I gotta say, I like their stuff. It's entertaining, and at the very least the message is positive.

This Abraham character, that Esther "channels," sounds more like Zsa Zsa Gabor than what I'd expect a highly evolved transdemensional being to sound like, but hey, it makes the message more fun. I won't get hung up on my feelings about channeling; because a wise man once taught me that it's not so much the messenger, but the message that counts.

The message that I got from Esther's entity is basically this: Going about trying to change your world by running amok fixing everything outside of you is bass ackwards. Instead, fix your inner world with feelings like joy and that's what you'll create.

I think Jesus said it this way in Mark 11:22-24. "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

Hey, if the Red Sox could use the power of belief to win the World Series after 80 years of disappointment, then this stuff must work.

You may also want to check out "The DaVinci Method" for the secrets to overcoming your inner barriers to positive creating.

Believe!"

Publisher: Hay House | More reviews: amazon.com

Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing

by Thomas Ashley-Farrand

Average Rating:

"No review here. Sorry. Nothing but praise. This book is changing my life so fast that I feel like I'm in a dream! I've used the Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Buddhist chant for years to transform my life internally and externally, but its brought up so much karma I knew I had to find a new and gentler path. Now, mystical happenings abound in a more directed way, and it's only been a few weeks! These mantras give one the power to work on specific problems related to everything from finance and relationships to physical and mental affliction. The results I've had have been tremendous!! Incredibly well-written, and easy to read, no doubt due to the Saraswati chant by the author. The mantras in this book if done as a "Sadhana" advised by Mr. Ashley-Farrand (40 days straight)I'm sure can change one's life dramatically as if one were taking medecine. They'll be making a dent in many people's negative karma soon, ultimately changing the course of the world. As far as I'm concerned, this book will make a priceless gift to loved ones. God bless!!"

Publisher: Wellspring/Ballantine | More reviews: amazon.com

Awareness: The Key to Living in Balance (Osho, Insights for a New Way of Living)

by Osho

Average Rating:

"Osho has a very good logical sensibility and makes many wonderful and helpful points about developing awareness. Some of his points are simply those that have been repeated in many books on meditation and mindfulness, but others are helpful in their unique insight. I found his points on "Centering" and "Tension and Relaxation" to be very helpful, and enjoyed many of the thoughts scattered throughout the book, such as a beautiful passage on "rising in love" as opposed to "falling in love."However, one of Osho's biggest character flaws was his sense of superiority, and the book's all-knowing and magnanimous tone can be grating, especially when Osho says things that are inaccurate and just plain false. Osho's knowledge about politics was fatally flawed; later in his life he expressed admiration for authoritarianism, even praising Hitler. A passage on how Russia and India would make more responsible decisions about nuclear weapons than America in this book is particularly absurd and calls to mind the man's very flawed political views.Osho's constant harping about the East's superiority to the West is irritating as well, particularly because it adds no extra insight and really is not a necessary part of the text. Further, it contradicts Osho's encouragement for readers to learn to overcome the mind's need to evaluate and compare. Osho devalues the analytical and logical accomplishments of the West even as he utilizes such approaches throughout his book. "Witnessing" is not the cure to everything, as Osho's life so aptly demonstrated. Some of his authoritative pronouncements could be harmful to those who would not challenge Osho's stance on something like therapy, the process of which could actually help a person with problems of repression of past trauma move more toward a state of awareness.Osho's knowledge of science is almost nonexistent, and yet he speaks of science with the same authoritative tone he uses in speaking of everything else. His inaccuracies on all of these topics would only be a minor irritation if he did not use inaccurate statements as the basis for many of his arguments about awareness. This book would have been much better if the editors had left out some of Osho's wildly false observations and edited out some of the parts where he repeats himself endlessly for pages. Osho was a flawed human being, but also had a deep knowledge of inner development. This book reflects that dichotomy.I would not argue against reading or buying it, but would encourage readers to be aware as they read the book so that they can separate the wheat of Osho's insights about becoming more aware from the chaff of his flawed egotistical pronouncements, divisive statements, and inaccurate claims."

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin | More reviews: amazon.com

Neale Donald Walsch on Relationships

by Neale Donald Walsch

Average Rating:

"Walsch's little book on Relationships is amazing. This is a quick read - you will probably finish it in two hours or less, but it is packed with insight, honesty, humor, and its wisdom will touch your soul. Walsh starts out by telling the reader that: "Relationship is the most important experience in our lives. Without it, we are nothing. Literally." Since we engage in so many different kinds of relationships, Walsch gently points out that, "Being in a relationship has everything to do with what you choose to put into it, not what you can get out of it." Walsch has the reader looking at relationships from a higher perspective, and not a selfish one, and one will really stop and ponder, when reading and absorbing his words. Walsch explains how relationships are sacred, as is our experiences of being in a relationship. He says, "Love is a decision, not a reaction." After the infatuation wears off, what does one have left - A genuine relationship, or an empty example of instant gratification?After finishing the book, I came away with saying, "Yes! - This is how it should be!" Walsch makes several references to his relationship with his wife Nancy and how their relationship, empowers, builds, and creates, and does not limit, tear down or hurt the other person. He asks the reader, " What can we empower? What can we create?" The reader has no choice, but to ask her/himself those very questions. Is your relationship empowering you and allowing you to create the whole, possible you? I really loved this quote, "Relationships that are based in real love - a love that is true - are relationships that are totally and completely free. Freedom is the essence of love. When we love another, we never seek to limit or restrict them in any why whatsoever. Love does not limit, does not own, does not hold in, but expands, lets go, and releases, the grandest part of who all of us are."This book will open up your heart, your mind and your soul. The words are pure and simple, but they aim right for your heart. Your perspective will change, as will your desire for what your soul is seeking in a true relationship. Walsch, in a subtle way, imparts to the reader, that one does not have to settle for second or third best. The heart knows - one just has to listen, and one has to be secure in themselves, to not settle, and to only accept the highest calling of the heart. For as Walsch says, "Relationship is the only experience in life that brings you an experience of yourself in life. Not only do I know myself out of my relationship with you, but I literally define myself as well. I can only see in me what I see in you".Pretty powerful words - pretty powerful, heart-felt book. I highly recommend this book for those who are seeking and for those that know, that there is something more powerful, sacred, and meaningful in a relationship and nothing else will do."

Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing | More reviews: amazon.com

Power, Freedom, and Grace: Living from the Source of Lasting Happiness

by Deepak Chopra

Average Rating:

"POWER, FREEDOM and GRACE is a fascinating, must-read book for anyone who is a fan of Deepak Chopra, and if you are not already a fan, you are sure to become one after reading this book. Every chapter starts out with a question, and the questions are ones we all want to answer at some point in our lives. "What do I want?, Who am I?, How do I participate in creating my reality?" Not only will you find the answers to these questions, but you will also acquire a whole new perspective of your reality and the world as you know it.
In Chopra's words, "Our real essence is a field of consciousness that is powerful, unbounded and free." Sounds good, but how does it work? With the findings of modern science and Chopra's extraordinary knowledge in the field of mind-body medicine, he expertly guides you on a journey of discovery of how we come into existence, create our reality, and are not separate from anything, but a part of all that is.
Chopra has left me with little doubt that we can all transform by "getting in touch with our inner self, the source of all being." And by transforming, what awaits me is "knowing true happiness, the intoxication of love, spirit flowing in its pure essence -- unimpeded, unrestricted, full of mystery, magic, and adventure."
This book is an adventure in itself and one that I will read over and over again. If you are going to buy a copy, you won't want to part with it. "

Publisher: Amber-Allen Publishing | More reviews: amazon.com

Road Trip Guide to the Soul: A 9-Step Guide to Reaching Your Inner Self and Revolutionizing Your Life

by Sadie Nardini

Average Rating:

"Sadie has the gift for teaching. Together with hard-earned, lived wisdom, her gift comes through on these pages, as it does in the yoga studio. Her lessons are specific, practical, and rooted in the teachings of ancient wisdom traditions. Using examples from her own life blended with the road trip metaphor, Sadie offers compelling, memorable, and empowering guidance. A key teaching that runs throughout is how self-reliance combines with generosity and compassion. She shows you how being intelligently and courageously generous with yourself benefits both you and others. Anyone who has taken a class with Sadie can see the integrity and discipline in her work. She brings these same qualities to this book. Her writing is both conversational and authoritative. You would be hard pressed to find a more engaging guide to life's rich journey. And you don't need to be a yogi to benefit from reading it. You only need to be alive with a commitment to living at full throttle!"

Publisher: Wiley | More reviews: amazon.com

Neale Donald Walsch on Abundance and Right Livelihood: Applications for Living series (Applications for Living)

by Neale Donald Walsch

Average Rating:

Essentially, God tells us in Conversations with God that most of us do not understand what abundance really is. We confuse it with money. Yet when we take stock of that in which we truly are abundant, and choose to share it freely with everyone whose life we touch, we find that what we thought was abundance—money—comes to us freely.Even this chain of events, however, many of us cannot accept. For when we think of money, we imagine that it is an experience and an energy that stands outside of the reality of God. Yet there is nothing in the universe that stands outside of the reality of God, that is not a part of God. Once we understand that money is a part of what God is, our attitude about money changes. We see it as an extension of the glory of God, not the root of all evil. This can produce astonishing results.Just what is abundance? Is it lots of money, lots of stuff that money can buy? That's what many people believe. And many work at jobs they dislike, just to support that belief. Neale Donald Walsch gives us the simple key to understanding the true nature of abundance, and a practical easy-to-understand philosophy for applying that knowledge to our daily lives.Neale Donald Walsch on Abundance and Right Livelihood is an inspirational, and sometimes humorous, exploration of the real meaning of money and prosperity—and of the secret to finding happiness with "right livelihood"—all of which leads to creating the true abundance we all desire.

Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing | More reviews: amazon.com

Life Magic: The Reknowned Psychic Healer Shares the 7 Keys to Finding Your Power and Living Your Purpose

by Laura Bushnell

Average Rating:

"Clairvoyant Bushnell has spent many years perfecting her craft, and always she has lived by the words of the magical realist director, Fellini, who advises us never to give up on the childlish gift of enthusiasm we are all born with. Bushnell provides a heady reading list, with everybody on it from Dan Brown (THE DA VINCI CODE) to ultra healer Shakti Gawain to Dr. Wayne Dyer. Thus, she's not married to any one approach, rather she plunges in with both arms up to the elbow in a wide variety of healing practices and wisdom, though never forgetting her basic gift, psychic ability. She can see into you, see your wishes, whether you're a Hollywood star or just a nobody like me.

Though, as she teaches, none of us are nobodies and all of us are like shining stars. Everyone who reads her book is a magus. If you don't know what a "magus" is, this book will teach you, or you could crack THE MAGUS by John Fowles. But perhaps the simplest explanation is the three Wise Men who went to visit Jesus in the manger, were called, the MAGI (Latin plural for more than one "Magus.") So it's the time of the season for LIFE MAGIC, even if you're not a religious person, or even if you don't believe in Christ, you might still pick up a copy of this book and gain some profit for your eternal soul. As Laura recalls, one time the Holy Mother spoke to her in a vision and ordered her to give away everything she owned that wouldn't fit into a single suitcase . . .

Ask yourself, what would your own response be if a figure in a vision appeared to you and commanded you to do that?

I'd freak out, but Bushnell, who has been there and done that, advises us to be calm no matter how extreme our visions become. Usually the psychic self is crying out to be allowed to heal some hurt within. Whether it is anger release, or sitting at the bedside of a six year old leukemia victim, Laura Bushnell has been there, and she's not judgmental about response. You can go to her with nearly any old problem and she will heal, with the help of common herbs such as honey, water, frankincense, musk, cinnamon and most of all, the precious gift of time.

Buy this for your troubled friends, and you will be casting bread upon the waters."

Publisher: Miramax | More reviews: amazon.com

Spiritual Warrior: The Art of Spiritual Living

by DSS John-Roger

Average Rating:

"The Spiritual Warrior Free at Last, Free at Last THANK GOD, I'M FREE AT LASTI live in the South, Texas to be exact, we are the buckle of the bible belt. Most of the people here are fundamental about their experience of God. God and the Holy Spirit is experienced through emotional flooding. With one hand they are beating themselves up with how unworthy they are and with the other hand they are pushing down the pain with alcohol, drugs, sex, work and yes, God to take away their pain and suffering. An endless cycle of lack and low self esteem. Statistically, Texas has the highest prison population in the country. Dallas is known as the "divorce capital" of the USA. Country music, which appeals to the emotions, is mostly about "crying, loving and leaving". People here continue to try and fill the emptiness with someone or something outside themselves. MSIA, which teaches to go inside to your spiritual heart, means they would have to let go, fear of the unknown and the layers of shame make the idea extremely painful. In the nutrition work I do most of the women I work with are in the fundamental churches. They are taught that the man of the house is in charge of their spiritual guidance. They give over to the "man of the house" any right of who they are. Being invisible, having no identity, these women, over a period of years begin to get sick. There is a lot of breast cancer and diseases of the female organs. The men I work with suffer mostly from heart related illness. Taking on the responsibility of everyone in the family and denying their own needs, they too become invisible. With a lack of self esteem, each person is trying their best to put out a "good image". A good wife, a good husband, a good child. There are more plastic surgeons per capita per person in Dallas than anywhere else in the country. The need to be "perfect". Over creating emotionally like a roller coaster, up and down, gets real tiring...I know, been there done that, ain't never goin' back ...I was raised in a fundamental religious family. (Thats another story)Living in the Bible Belt, I decided to do some investigation work. Where do the Christian churches get their information? In reading various books (if your interested in the books I read I will send a bibligraphy), I found , the teachings of the "Apostle" Paul. The Catholic Church is based on his teachings as well as the teachings of St. Augustine. Further, I discovered both Paul and Augustine's philosophy is based on Socrates and Plato not Jesus Christ. During the height of Greek culture and philosophy, Socrates was the best known for influencing people with his philosophy. In his Book VII the allegory of the Cave, long before Freud, Socrates understood the workings of the human psyche. Socrates demonstrated that the aim of education was to turn the soul around by changing its desires. Desire having to do with the mind and emotions. Socrates was forced to kill himself because he was very pushy about showing people how they could change their lives. His student Plato, who was from a very wealthy family didn't need to work. With money and influence he took over where Socrates left off. Paul lived during the same time period and used the philosophy of Socrates and Plato mixed it in with some of the philosophy of Jesus Christ and being a great promoter like some our television evangelist said it was the teachings of Jesus Christ. I also ran across some information about how Paul and some of Jesus's disciples like John also know, as John The Beloved, were in disagreement about how Paul was promoting Jesus.The teachings of Jesus Christ, as I have come to learn is about LOVING, and forgiveness, worthiness to love and be loved. Taking care of yourself first, so you can take care of others. Each person is in charge of themselves. Free to be just who we are....because we are all from God... The "Spiritual Warrior" is a tool back to what I feel are the true teachings of Jesus Christ, the Loving Heart. "Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of Heaven and all things will be given unto you. The Kingdom of Heaven is within." Reclaiming who I am has been a long journey. Going inside and peeling off the layers of fear, guilt and shame, to truly know my loving heart. Each and every day is more learning about what that is. Free at last, free at last, thank God, I am free at last. I pass on the "Spiritual Warrior" whenever and where ever I can."Happiness is an In -Thing" . Its inside, become a Spiritual Warrior, find your courage to let go and let God, and yes, climb aboard for the ride of your life...."

Publisher: Mandeville Press | More reviews: amazon.com