Evaluating Dreams

What you think about and what manifests in your life experience is always a vibrational match, and, in
the same way, what you think about and what manifests in your dream state is always a vibrational
match.
Your dominant thoughts always match your manifestations, and so, once you understand the absolute
correlations between your thoughts, how you feel, and what is manifesting in your experience, you can
then accurately predict everything that will come into your life.
It is nice when you are aware of your thoughts and therefore aware of what you are creating before it
manifests, but it is also of value, after something has manifested, to then acknowledge the thoughts that
led up to it. In other words, you can make the conscious association between your thoughts, feelings, and
manifestations before the manifestation occurs or after the manifestation occurs. Both are helpful.
When you dream about something, it is always a match to the thoughts that you have been thinking. And
so, since each of your dreams is, in fact, your creation, it is not possible for you to dream about anything
that you have not created through your thoughts. The fact that it has now manifested in your dream state
means that you have given it a significant amount of thought.
The essence of the way you feel about the things you think about most will eventually manifest in your
real-life experience— but it takes even less time and attention for it to manifest in your dream state. And
for that reason, your dreams can be of immense value in helping you understand what you are in the
process of creating in your awake state. If you are in the process of creating something that you do not
want, it would be easier to change the direction of your thoughts before it manifests than waiting to
change your thoughts after it manifests.
The process for Evaluating Dreams is as follows: As you go to bed, consciously acknowledge that your
dreams accurately reflect your thoughts. Say to yourself, It is my intention to rest well and to awaken
refreshed. And if there is anything important for me to recall from my dream state, I will recall it when I
awaken.
Then, as you awaken, before you get up, lie there for a few minutes and ask yourself, Do I remember
anything from my dream state? Although you may be able to recall different aspects of your dream state
throughout the day, usually the best chance of recalling your dreams is when you first awaken. And as you
begin to recall one of your dreams, relax and try to remember how you felt during the dream sequence,
for recalling your emotions will give you even more important information than recalling the details of
your dream.
You must give significant attention to any subject for it to become powerful enough to manifest in your
experience. And quite a bit of attention must also be given to a subject before it will begin to show up in
your dream state. For that reason, your more meaningful dreams are always accompanied by strong
emotion. The emotion may feel good or bad—but it will always be strong enough so that you wiU
recognize the feeling.
“How did I feel as that was happening?” If you have awakened from a very good-feeling dream, you can
be confident that your dominant thoughts surrounding that subject are pointed toward manifestations
that you do want. When you awaken from a bad-feeling dream, know that your dominant thoughts are in
the process of attracting something that you do not want; however, no matter where you stand in terms
of what is manifesting in your experience, you can always make a new decision and change the
manifestation to something that is even more pleasing.
It is truly more fulfilling to consciously create increasingly satisfying scenarios in your life experience than
it is for you to create by default things that you really do not want—and then try to turn those around to
things that you do want. For once something does manifest, then you have all that observing-of-theunwanted-
thing to deal with as well as the habit of thought that brought it about to begin with.

As soon as you begin to understand that your dreams are wonderful reflections of how you really feel and
what you are creating, then you can begin to deliberately change your thoughts in order to positively
affect your dreams. And as soon as you receive the positive dream, you will know that you are on the path
of a more positive real-life manifestation.
If you awaken from a bad dream, do not worry; instead, feel appreciation for your awareness that you
have been giving attention to something you do not want. In the same way you appreciate the sensors in
your skin that alert you to the fact that you are approaching something that is very hot, appreciate that
your emotions have made you aware that your thoughts are approaching something unwanted.
Now, you do not create while you are dreaming. Your dream is a manifestation of what you have been
thinking during your awake state. However, once you are awake and you are now thinking about, or
discussing, your dream, those thoughts do affect your future creations.
It is helpful to keep a written record of your dreams, but it is not necessary to be extremely elaborate in
the recording of the details. Record the general setting where the dream took place, the basic people
who appeared in the dream, what you were doing in the dream, what others were doing in the dream,
and, most significantly, how you felt within the dream.

Dreams can give you a wonderful insight into your current vibrational state of being. Your recall of a
dream is your physical translation of blocks of Non-Physical thought that you have interacted with in your
dream state. When you sleep, you reemerge back into the Energy of the Non-Physical, and you have
conversations but not conversations in words, but vibrational ones). Then, as you are awakening, you
translate that block of thought back into its physical equivalent.
Sometimes when you have wanted something for a long while but you do not see any way for it to really
happen, you will experience a dream where it does happen. And then, in the pleasant recollection of the
dream, you soften your vibration of resistance—and then your desire can be fulfilled.
Many years ago, Jerry and Esther were mutually involved in a business enterprise, but they were not
romantically involved. They felt appreciation for one another, but there was not a romantic feeling
because neither of them would allow themselves to have that. Each of them, due to circumstances and
beliefs, had not even tiptoed into that arena of thought relative to one another.

Quantum Success

Well, Ms. Taylor has done it again...or, rather, outdone herself! In Secrets of Attraction, the author shows us how we not only set the stage for our life-performance but inadvertently instruct other "players" to treat us well or badly, based on how we think about and treat ourselves. In her latest book,Quantum Success, we are taken several steps further into the quantum realm (layman's terms, thankyou!) for a step-by-step lesson on how, precisely, to put these universal laws to work for ourselves in the areas of money and personal fulfillment. An easy, riveting read with many "aha" moments along the way. We've all heard it before...we've all read it before...some of us might even be able to "teach the class" so to say; but never before has any one book put these sound and viable principles into words that actually worked their way into my consciousness where I believe they will stay forever. Thank you, Sandra Anne Taylor, Hay House, and Amazon.Com. A must-read for anyone on the verge of financial ruin (or great good fortune) who is totally ready for an extra nudge or great leap of faith into a new way of thinking about and using MONEY. This is not just another "self help" blog - this is a highly interactive and effective tool for those who are willing to give up the notion that there is "only so much to go around" and let go of all guilt surrounding the idea of "having it ALL". The good news is, "Having it ALL" IS an option and everyone deserves to manifest their fondest wishes and fulfill their desire for financial freedom. This book will show you how to do it, quickly and easily. 5 stars...two thumbs up...buy the book! The principles in this book literally saved my business and helped me to start a new one, in addition. I recently had the opportunity to hear Ms. Taylor speak at a conference in Orlando. What a presence! I am a confirmed fan of this author and her skillful contributions have, in my opinion, put heretofore obscure ideas into language that the average person can understand and utilize. Here's hoping there is a third book underway!

The Intention Experiment

"We can no longer view ourselves as isolated from our environment and our thoughts the private, self-contained workings of an individual brain. Dozens of scientists have produced thousands of papers in the scientific literature offering sound evidence that thoughts are capable of profoundly affecting all aspects of our lives. As observers and creators, we are constantly remaking our world at every instant. Every thought we have, every judgment we hold, however, unconscious, is having an effect. With every moment that it notices, the conscious mind is sending an intention." - From the book

What if eggs registered a cry of alarm, then resignation, when one of their number was dropped in boiling water? What if you could change the shape of your bicep muscle simply by sitting on a couch and using your brain? What if plants could learn to differentiate between true and artificial human intent--a plant "learning curve"--such as a researcher *thinking* about lighting a match under one of its leaves, but not intending to actually do it? What if directed thoughts produce demonstrable physical energy, even over a remote distance--perhaps altering the very molecular structure of the object of intention? Can praying for 4,000 patients with hospital-acquired infections affect their healing and recovery--when prayed for *4-10 years after their hospitalization*?

Do these questions sound like plots out of a sci-fi novel to you--or perhaps ridiculous notions from New Age space cadets? What if these concepts were actually the quantifiable results of rigorous scientific studies?

Like her previous book The Field, author Lynne McTaggart explores the edges of frontier science, boldly going where ingrained Newtonian paradigms have never gone before: the realm of pioneering consciousness experiments. In her newest book The Intention Experiment, McTaggart not only recounts dozens of extraordinary scientific studies on the power of human intention on machines, plants, animals and other humans, but also explains how to harness this power individually and collectively for specific results.

In fact, McTaggart, in conjunction with Dr. Gary Schwartz of Center for Frontier Medicine in Biofield Science at the University of Arizona, now endeavors to undertake the world's largest scientific mind-over-matter experiment in history, inviting readers to participate in online research on massive group intention. In addition, McTaggart encourages participants to use her blueprint of exercises and recommendations for "powering up"--based on the results of extensive research--to formulate their own personal goals, especially unlikely ones, and report the results to her website.

Some of the fascinating studies and research findings detailed in The Intention Experiment include:

* "...although the activity of the REGs was normal in the days leading up to 9/11, the machines became increasingly correlated a few hours *before* the first tower was hit, as though there had been a mass premonition... The world had felt a collective shudder several hours before the first plane crash, and every REG machine had heard and duly recorded it."

* "Volunteers between 20 and 35 years old imagined flexing one of their biceps as hard as they could during daily training sessions carried out five times a week. After ensuring that the participants were not doing any actual exercise, including tensing their muscles, the researches discovered an astonishing 13.5 percent increase in muscle size and strength after just a few weeks, an advantage that remained for three months after the mental training stopped."

* Clearly, during an altered state, roughly corresponding to the hyperalert state of intense meditation, conscious thoughts can convince the body to endure pain, cure many serious diseases, and change virtually any condition.

* Water treated by healers underwent a fundamental change in its molecular makeup.

* "...Helmut Schmidt successfully employed a similar study design to change his own prerecorded breathing rate, demonstrating that it is possible to retroactively change your own physical state as well...intention is capable of reaching back down the time line to influence past events, or emotional or physical responses, at the point when they originally occurred. Physicists no longer consider retrocausation inconsistent with the laws of the universe. More than one hundred articles in the scientific literature propose ways in which laws of physics can account for time displacement."

A recent article in Rolling Stone magazine mentioned that well-intentioned, heartfelt prayer might inadvertently harm or kill patients--an article that no doubt deflated the beliefs and hopes of some people...not to mention seeming to contradict the many studies showing the efficacy of prayer. With uncanny prescience, McTaggart addresses this study in depth, concluding, "When we are consciously attempting to affect someone else with our thoughts, we may want to search our hearts about our true feelings to ensure that we are not sending tainted love."

The Intention Experiment also explores why Reiki, energy healing and voodoo works, as well as the science behind visualization, entrainment between loving couples, psychic ability, retrocausation, biofeedback, remote viewing, and manifestation. If you're intrigued by the ideas presented in The Secret, What the Bleep Do We Know?!, Ramtha material, and the Abraham material (Law of Attraction)--but crave scientific proof and a more globally connected, compassionate paradigm--The Intention Experiment by Lynne McTaggart abundantly delivers. Proving what mystics, shamans, and spiritual teachers have demonstrated and shared for centuries--that all is connected in the web of life--I'm thrilled that there's *finally* a book that integrates volumes of hard scientific data with idea that thoughts are "things" that solidify, and influence, matter itself.

Instead of merely offering up an incredible amount of detailed research findings (the notes/citations and Bibliography are well over 30 pages)--which is a feat in itself--The Intention Experiment does what many books do not: translates the implications of these findings for everyday folks, and provides a simple model to follow for personal experimentation and manifestation. Bravo to Ms. McTaggart for this book, and for providing the opportunity for readers to participate in the largest, grandest experiment on group intention in human history. (http://www.theintentionexperiment.com/)

THE FIELD

With an ear for human interest and eye for detail, Lynne McTaggart masterfully tells the true story in THE FIELD of how pioneers in science and consciousness research are working to achieve a more complete understanding of the true nature of reality -- an understanding which includes (rather than ignores) consciousness.

THE FIELD describes how scientists have gradually become aware of what appears to be a unifying energy structure in our universe. This "Zero Point Field" provides us with a simpler explanation for how things work than previous overly-complex ideas require. Simplicity in science is a good thing, because it generally indicates which theories will win out as time goes by. The Zero Point Field theory demonstrates it's elegant simplicity by allowing physicists to derive the famous equation F=ma (rather than take it as a starting assumption), and by helping medical practitioners understand the underlying scientific basis for homeopathy.

Our scientific conceptualization of this universe has changed considerably over the last few centuries and now faces one of the biggest overhauls ever -- and THE FIELD demonstrates why the Zero Point Field is likely to be the last frontier for us to explore. THE FIELD is packed with detailed descriptions of some of the most exciting experiments recently conducted by leading researchers in the field of consciousness such as: Cleve Backster, Jacques Benveniste, William Braud, Bob Jahn, Edgar Mitchell, Fritz-Albert Popp, Hal Puthoff, Rupert Sheldrake, Russell Targ, Elisabeth Targ, and Charles Tart.

I give this book my highest recommendation.

(Cynthia Sue Larson has a degree in physics from UC Berkeley and is author of the book "AURA ADVANTAGE: How the Colors in Your Aura Can Help You Attain What You Desire & Attact Success")

The Biology of Belief

This book will sit alongside my most valued resources in my collection. The reasoning is straightforward - conventional medicine is predicated on the Primacy of Matter - that molecules are the basic building blocks of life and the most important. But conventional health solutions are becoming less effective in the provision of long term health, and more expensive. Dr. Lipton's work is admirable by focusing on the wider interconnections between the energy of our beliefs, and the amazing behaviour of cells and now epigenetics.

From changing the central biological dogma of the Primacy of DNA, to outlining the quantum nature of information flows and the astounding benefits of conscious parenting, and the failure of the genome project to find enough proteins, this book is packed full of gems sure to benefit everybody. Lipton addresses energy as purportedly 100 times more powerful than molecules. It simply makes sense we invest our 'energy' in modelling a health system geared towards both chemical AND energy based solutions - vibrations meeting vibrations. Dr. Lipton's work asks us to consider the possibility our primary source of energy comes from our internal and external environments, and our unconscious perceptions have a major influence on the health of this exchange.

Obviously contentious, this book is worth 5 stars simply for the pioneering and unique message it brings.

With modern technology we can repeatedly 'perceive' energy in ways we couldn't before. Science is about improving our technology, and as we are now well and truly in the ascending Dwapara Yuga (Age of Energy) we are being asked to embrace the beginnings of the wisdom and knowledge technology wave.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in furthering their study and knowledge of biology beyond what is conventionally proselytised and thought energy or consciousness based healing practices such as energy medicine, homeopathy, reiki, energy psychology or huna had a "flaky" foundation. As an adult child of an alcoholic and abuse I know how ineffective drugs are to heal without treatment of beliefs and emotions. Perceptions very easily select actions from which we make assumptions about people and lifestyle decisions that block energy and create pathology.

In regards to the critical nature of some commentators - Perhaps there is truth to the saying, "A prophet is never known in their home town." I was fortunate to meet Dr Lipton at one of his seminars in Australia and I was blown away by his grasp of biology and the inspirational hope he brings to this knowledge. Thank you.

This work stands on its own, you don't have to know anything about Psych-K to get real value from it.

The Divine Matrix

I've followed with interest Gregg Braden's pioneering work over the years, on the Zero Point, the Science of Compassion, the Isaiah Effect, and the God Code. This latest text by him is presented in three parts:

Part I, "Discovering the Divine Matrix: The Mystery That Connects All Things,"
Part II, "The Bridge Between Imagination and Reality: How the Divine Matrix Works,"
Part III, "Messages from the Divine Matrix: Living, Loving, and Healing in Quantum Awareness,"

Initially I was skeptical that The Divine Matrix was more likely a commercialized repeat of those earlier works since his joining the Hay House Club. However, I was delighted to be proven wrong, and found myself uplifted by his blend of personal story telling and how the latest findings in the quantum science world contribute to his own personal self-realizations. Although I felt aspects of the scientific connections he made in The God Code were drawing a long bow, this is less the case in the Divine Matrix, as the scientific references he makes are to more readily accessible mainstream, published works done by others. The Divine Matrix is an "educated hypothesis" co-related to his life experience, based on some key scientific experiments and findings from sacred manuscripts, rather than a pure work of science. Those readers looking for a pure science text are likely to be disappointed.

Yes - the Divine Matrix includes 20 Keys summarizing the more important concepts of the Divine Matrix and how to consciously create within it. Personally, I found this approach slightly over-complicated. Life is much simpler, and every time we create a so called Key or rule, we create belief systems and conditions, which vested interests then spend precious energy arguing about who's experience of these is right or wrong. For me, we are One Being; Many Realities, rather than Many Beings; One Reality. It's fruitless to argue anyone's reality is "the rule" or more right than anyone else's. I would have felt more comfortable if he had prefaced these concepts by stating "Gregg's Perception of the 20 Keys" rather than the "Absolute Keys of the Divine Matrix."

A wise person once said, "God has no need for rules, only Humans do".

Overall, I found the Divine Matrix a delight and easy to read. I recommend it to those who might be familiar with the general gist of the findings from the Quantum World, and might be wondering, what difference does this really make to our daily lives, without the hype or jargon. For more experienced readers this is really a synopsis of his previous work, videos and lectures. For me, it's his personal stories that provide the enrichment. Still great value.

Your Immortal Reality

Some things just ring true when you read or hear them. A deeper aspect of yourself, or that intuitive place inside sometimes just knows that this is the real deal. This is most especially the case with Gary Renard's books. I am talking about the radical teachings on forgiveness themselves, not necessarily what one makes of the ascended masters, Arten and Pursah, who are said to have conversed with the author in his living room. Make no mistake about it; this is not some New Age channeled hooey designed to simpy make you feel good about yourself or the world at large. This IS the real deal, and as far as I can tell, so are Arten and Pursah, but that doesn't really matter.

The subtitle of the book is "How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death." Now some people might ask why they would necessarily even want to break this cycle, although such a query would be a stretch today given the mess the illusory world seems to be in at this time. But let's face it. Life isn't all bad, and in fact, can sometimes seem downright fun and rewarding. It also, of course, depends on who you are and what kind of shape your life is currently in. But the best analogy I have ever heard in this regard came from a book I read by a Tibetan Buddhist who was imprisoned for many years following the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959. His captor and personal guard would take one day of every week, Tuesday, to spend most of that day torturing him. On one particular Tuesday, the captor had a note sent to the Buddhist monk that the captor would not be able to torture him that day because he had fallen ill. But the guard assured the Buddhist that he would torture him again on the following Tuesday. Even though the monk's dismal and degrading surroundings were unchanged, even though he was still literally given garbage to eat in filthy and inhumane conditions, that Tuesday was one beautiful day. Enough said.

If you have not already done so, I would recommend reading "The Disappearance of the Universe" before reading "Your Immortal Reality." I think you'll get much more out of each book that way. The most refreshing thing about Gary Renard is that he is a straight shooter with a good sense of humor. He doesn't appear to be a person who takes himself too seriously, yet the teachings themselves could not be more important. A Course in Miracles is, as others have noted, a Christianized version of Advaita Vedanta. I can think of no higher teaching, nor a more direct route to the ultimate goal of full realization of our oneness with God. Don't be surprised or in the least discouraged, then, if you find your ego resisting your efforts to practice real forgiveness as described in the Course. This is not easy stuff, and anyone who suggests that it is, must either be a fully enlightened master or someone who has completely deluded themselves. Still, is there anything in life more important than our efforts in this regard? After all, isn't today Tuesday?

A Course in Miracles

Some people simply won't find this conducive to their beliefs, and that's okay. But for those who are willing to give it a try, let me divulge a little about my experience with it. I'm spiritual but also extremely skeptical, so I'd never been able to stick with any one religion or philosophical doctrine beyond Taoism in its ambiguous glory. The virtue of the Course is that it doesn't matter whether the contents are credible to you enough that you can invest in it your lifelong faith, because when you start reading it seriously and practicing the workbook, you will soon be faced with evidence that this path is real and one worth taking. It calls for your faith, but not because you'll be damned to hell otherwise. Your faith in the Course is required just as therapy would require you to have faith that you can be treated.

Having been schooled in a wretched fundamentalist Christian parochial, I try but fail time and again to fathom a loving God, and I recognize this fact more clearly and painfully now that I've been studying the Course. So I approach the Course from a secular and/ or psychotherapeutic perspective when I can't handle all the spiritual overtones, and it works. Take, for instance, Newton's third law, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." We also know (esp if you're familiar with magick and witchcraft) that by some fuzzy logic "what goes around comes around," but the Course defines this in exact terms; whether it's God or our fellow men, if we put up a defense against Him/ them, we're doing the same to ourselves. By judging others, we judge ourselves, and as a child, by learning to hate myself as a sinful creature, I also learnt to hate God, even though on the surface I thought I was a devout 'God-fearing' Christian. The bottom line is that the Course allows you to bring along your doubts and to let go of them gradually as you become ready to do so.

But most of all, A Course in Miracles is a source of healing for everyone. If you're depressed or otherwise mentally unstable, suffering in some way from your past, or just stuck in some 'unlucky' life predicament, this book is a way out. Like several reviewers mentioned above, I never believed that one book could change my life. But it did. And I want it to do the same for anyone else who still wants to believe that there has to be more to this broken-down world than eating and working and sleeping and breeding and dying and then just maybe a Big Mean Judge waiting at the end. It's not easy, it's not instant gratification, but it's a solution and a permanent one, and it doesn't involve a bullet or fast train.

Return to Love

I first discovered this book 2 ½ years ago. I specifically say discovered, for it's like unearthing a treasure. I can't begin to express the impact this book made upon my life & continues to do so. Williamson explains in vivid detail how thoughts & perception can literally alter your life. Happiness isn't something we're innately in contact with, it requires cultivation, something we actively choose every moment of everyday. Anguish & suffering is a part of the human condition, but it doesn't have to consume your life. Oftentimes modern society is so consumed with success, competition, and acquiring material things, we forget the concept of joy is also a part of the human condition. We have a right to anticipate it, but it doesn't just saunter up & plop in your lap. It's labor intensive. I found concrete steps on how to redirect my energies & thoughts, and eventually my reality. What value does life hold if we can not love, permit ourselves to be loved, & be joyful? This book is the ultimate "how to" improve your consciousness book. I refer to it every time I feel a bit blue. It's really my blueprint of reaffirming or correcting my thought patterns. I've highlighted points crucial for my life & refer when necessary. Most importantly it works without fail. That is indeed the true litmus test.

I also strongly recommend Williamson's various cassette lecture series. If you're weary because of some negative things you may have read about Williamson I urge the reader to disregard them. Truthfully I don't care if she has some inconsistencies in her life, don't all humans? You're not moving into her home, you just want to benefit from some profoundly wise & inspiration advice. The basic truth is, the principles she details quite simply work. I am forever grateful to her & have purchased this book for my friends. If you desire to live & not just exist, this is a great gift for yourself & loved ones. Enjoy.

The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife describes a refreshing way to approach midlife, not viewing midlife through glasses emphasizing decline and loss, but through a framework of endless possibility, wisdom, an embracing of and creation of new meaning, a turning towards life, a realization of the limitlessness of God, a forgiving of the past, a reimagination of relationships, and being one with the world around us.

Although this book is grounded in A Course in Miracles (as are all of Marianne Williamson's books), it is spiritual rather than religious and appropriate for readers of all spiritual and religious backgrounds. The book is not about ACIM per se, but about aging; there indeed are other books that can be read to find out more about ACIM. This work consists of Marianne Williamson's thoughtful musings on how to age well from a practical and spiritual point of view.

The book is peppered throughout with beautiful short prayers written by the author. The chapters cover the author's thoughts on the losses versus the gains of aging, family of origin issues, healing from childhood wounds, coping with regret, emotional baggage and more. The book describes how to fan into flames our passions, dreams, and inner fire that may seem to be ashes and cinders but is buried under "accumulated burdens and disappointments" by the time we hit midlife---and can be revived. How do we re-enchant ourselves with a new vision at this time of our lives?

Here is a quote that sums up the theme of this book: "Midlife today is a second puberty of sorts. The experience, including its length, is being redefined. It is a period distinctly unlike youth, yet distinctly unlike old age. It doesn't feel like a cruise to the end of our lives so much as a cruise, at last, to the meaning of our lives."

If reading the above excites you and sounds intriguing, you'll love the book as I did.

Highly recommended.

Happy for No Reason

I thought it would be namby-pamby or filled with fluff until I read this paragraph in the introduction:

"My first major discovery was that scientists have found that we each have a `happiness set-point,' the genetic and learned tendency to remain at a certain level of happiness, similar to a thermostat setting on a furnace. Fortunately for those of us not born on the sunny side of the street, it's been shown that we can change our happiness set-points. I'll discuss this more in the next chapter and offer you specific exercises throughout the book to raise your happiness set-point."

As I read the book I was surprised at most every turn. I was delighted that she included Mark McKergow's Solution Focus Technique--a longtime favorite of mine that keeps you focused on what's working in your life instead of on what's not working.

...And that she actually tells how to do one of Chunyi Lin's Spring Forest Qigong techniques that energizes the body and literally brings you feelings of happiness and joy.

Part of her process in studying happiness was to interview 100 truly happy people. Another surprise was finding a link where I could actually listen to highlights of the interviews online.

So...I'd get the book.

Sara, Book 3

“Do you believe in ghosts?” Annette just sort of blurted out.
Sara and Seth both looked up with surprise. “Well,” Sara stalled, “I guess I do.” She remembered the night Solomon had visited her in her bedroom after Jason and Jimmy had shot him, but she hadn’t really thought about him being a ghost that night; she’d just been so glad to see her beloved feathered friend.
Sara and Seth looked at each other. Both of them knew that if anything would fall into the category of ghosts, Solomon would most likely be it, but they didn’t say anything, uncertain about telling their new friend their special secret.
“Well, do you believe in ghosts?” Seth asked, looking intently at Annette’s serious face.
Annette looked at Seth and then at Sara, who both sat quietly, each waiting to hear the answer.
“No, I just wondered if you did,” Annette answered abruptly. “Hey, let’s swing.” And without taking the time to execute a perfectly calculated leap from the platform as she usually did, Annette grabbed the swinging rope and jumped off as if she couldn’t do so fast enough. . . .

Sara, Book 2

What can i say? Ask and its given! I was only saying to myself the other day how good it would be to find a book on a "fictional" basis that would give me same teachings on the Law of attraction as do the all the other books on the market. i walked into our local department store and there it was, "Sara Book 2" staring at me.I felt compelled to buy it even though i don't like reading a book if i havn't read the first to the sequel.It took me one day to read it and i was so grateful to the universe and E & J Hicks and Abraham for bringing me the book i asked for. Even though i have read so many books and watched so many dvds on the subject, this book was the most profound because its so real and obvious when you read it in a real life context. Everyone can relate to it and no matter what age you are. i've just ordered 3 copies of "sara book 1' as i'm certain it will be just as brilliant,inspiring, and wonderful as "sara book 2".Do yourself a favour and read it and give it your children. If i had a book like this to read when i was growing up, my life would have been SO different.

Sara, Book 1

"Wow! Sara pondered. That's amazing. I can actually see that the way I feel has only to do with what I'm giving my attention to. The conditions didn't change, but my attention did!" - From the book

In essence, the whole craze about the Law of Attraction or "the secret" started with a group of evolved entities known as Abraham. Channeled by Esther Hicks, these astute teachers, along with Esther and her husband Jerry, have imparted hundreds of messages to humanity via live workshops, audio, books and inspirational decks.

Each of these media has their own strengths, but perhaps the most engaging and accessible source for the crux of the Law of Attraction is the fictional Sara Series. In Sara, Book 1: Sara Learns the Law of Attraction, a wise owl named Solomon appears to a girl named Sara, becoming her confidante and mentor.

In Sara, Book 1, young Sara faces many challenges at home, school and within her community--experiencing boredom, frustration, confusion and anger. One day, her brother and his friend tell Sara about an owl they encountered on Thacker's Trail who they name Solomon.

Sara decides to look for Solomon among the snow-covered pastures--but finds that the once familiar trails and landmarks look quite different covered in snow. When she tries to cross a frozen river, the ice crackles under her weight. She hears a voice saying, "Have you forgotten that you cannot drown?"--and so begins Sara's journey with the large bird.

Solomon counsels Sara that there is a stream of well-being available to everyone--but the trick to receiving its benefits is allowing her "valve" to stay open. Sara: Book 1 answers important questions often asked by those curious about the Law of Attraction, as well as those frustrated and disappointed about the results of trying to apply this metaphysical principle.

For example, why does focusing on someone's "unhappiness" or "hardships" close the valve? How does one respond in the face of challenges or unmet expectations? Most importantly, how does one disconnect from the "chain of pain" and instead hook up to the stream of well-being?

On a personal note, I found this book to be incredibly insightful and timely. I happened to be reading it in my backyard, which is unremarkable in itself--except that my husband and I have been dealing with some peripheral difficulties involving new neighbors.

I began to read Chapter 20, which was incredibly appropriate. In this chapter, Sara sees old Aunt Zoie. She wants to help her--shower her with the stream of joy. But for some reason, it wasn't working for Sara, despite her best efforts.

Solomon explains to Sara that she cannot enter that "feeling place" while still in the "chain of pain". That is, Sara could not offer Aunt Zoie good feelings when Sara was feeling sorry for her Aunt--pitying her because she is "old", "crippled" and "alone". Solomon teaches Sara that everyone in the world wants different things--and we cannot truly know if someone is happy, or what is best for them.

But what we can do, he encourages, is stay hooked up to the faucet of well-being--which not only draws "birds of a feather" to us, but also widens our access to the constant flow that is always there...enabling to give more to others and ourselves.

I decided to look for things to appreciate--including my surroundings and my neighbors (who, in my mind, weren't half as bad as the previous ones!). The more I did this silently as I read, the better I felt. Eventually, one of the neighbors ventured into his back yard and I looked up, feeling such warmth and joy. I gave him a big smile and a cheerful wave and, although he ignored me as usual, I was still able to see him--and my living situation--with gratitude.

Things got better and better for us that day...and I am so very grateful for the transformative reminders found in this delightful book. I especially love how Solomon often concludes his visit with Sara with "have fun with this". It doesn't have to be arduous!

Sara, Book 1, Solomon demonstrates higher perspectives on various situations--and how what we behold and appreciate can not only transform how we feel, but also reality itself.

If you're looking to learn more about the Law of Attraction (especially from a down-to-Earth, nuts-and-bolts perspective), this is a fantastic book. If you already know some (or all) of the principles...but seem to have a hard time "getting" some of the nuances, especially in terms of observing and unhooking from the "chain of pain", then you'll find important reminders and immediately-useful approaches to joining the ever-flowing stream of well-being.

Money, and the Law of Attraction

Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Ester and Jerry Hicks, takes manifesting your life's desires to a new level.

I recently read and reviewed MANIFEST YOUR DESIRES: 365 Ways to Make Your Dreams a Reality, and my only complaint was that the book was less a how-to than a collection of inspiring affirmations. Money, and the Law of Attraction is just the opposite--it is filled with practical advice from the non-physical entity Abraham that guide you to manifest money and physical well-being.

In the introduction, Jerry Hicks writes: "Life is supposed to feel good and that overall Well-Being is what is natural." That improving our lives is within our control.

According to Abraham, when we feel good physically, we naturally feel joy and well being and have a good attitude in life. This fills us with the positive energy that makes manifesting easy.

"Learn to guide your thoughts in the direction of things that feel good, and discover the power that only comes from vibrational alignment with Source."

"The way you feel is always about the degree in which you are in alignment or out of alignment with your source. No exceptions.

What I like best is that the book is a guide to more than attracting money. In the section, "careers as profitable sources of pleasure," we are encouraged to earn by doing what we love. Our life's experiences and our inner knowing will guide us to the right careers if we allow ourselves to follow the flow.

"We encourage you to decide as early in life as possible to live happily ever after." The "career" is living a happy life. When feeling happy is of paramount importance for you--and what you do 'for a living' makes you happy--you have found the best of all combinations."

The reader is advised to find work that is in alignment with our Source.

I also like the section, "perspectives of healthy, weight and mind," as so many of us are negative and unrealistic about our bodies. The Law of Attraction helps us to feel good about our bodies and see our bodies realistically.

I have been practicing the law of attraction for years for myself and have helped numerous clients of mine manifest their desires. I highly recommend the award winning book,HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET along with Money, and the Law of Attraction, as Harmonious Environment includes numerous ways to boost positive, life affirming energy into the home which helps support you to manifest your desires. Finally, the original THE LAW OF ATTRACTION: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham is still a terrific primer.

Ester and Jerry Hicks have written a clear and easy to follow guide to help you manifest wealth, health and happiness...highly recommend!

BTW, this is the second book in a series of four books. Number three will be: Relationships, and the Law of Attraction and number four will be: Spirituality, and the Law of Attraction.

The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent

I've spent a big chunk of the last 5 years of my life reading, researching and applying the things I've learned from a host of books and audio/visual programs all aimed at helping people live happier and more fulfilling lives. And like so many of the resources I've used during this time, "The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent" (TAPoDI)focuses on tapping into the unrealized potential that lives within all of us, but simply isn't used because we a) don't know about it and b) don't understand how to use it.

As someone who's studied a large volume of material on this general topic, I tend to look at such works from the viewpoint of "how is this material similar to other works I've studied" and "what does it have to offer that's new, original and, especially, useful. Here's my take on TAPoDI:

Like many other "New Age" authors, Esther and Jerry Hicks present to us a view of life in which WE, ourselves, are both the biggest limiting factor in our lives and the key to unleashing the utterly unlimited potential that is the human "spirit". WE create our own life experience. Period. If our lives aren't what we want them to be, aren't enjoyable and don't consist of the things we love most, we have only ourselves to look to for change. If we are living limited and unsatisfying lives, it is we who have (often unwittingly) CHOSEN to do so ... nothing or no one else is to "blame" ... it is we who create our own eperience of life.

But, never fear. As beings whose true nature is that of unlimited spirit with the power to create all that we dream of, it is only our lack of understanding of our true potential and our unwillingness to explore that potential and use it that has kept us locked in lives we don't enjoy completely. Esther and Jerry clearly believe, as do many authors I've studied, that the practical potential of humanity is truly unlimited. In this sense they seem to be adding their voices to the growing number of people whose experience of life is teaching them that we have within us ALREADY the power to create whatever life we want for ourselves.

For me, what differentiated the Hicks' book from others I've read on this general topic was their understanding of the role of human emotions and our response to them in navigating the "HOW" of unleashing our unlimited potential for joy and satisfaction. I mean, it's one thing to declare that human beings have truly unlimited potential ... it's quite another to figure out how to EXPERIENCE that unlimited potential in our day to day lives. What Esther and Jerry have to show us in this book is incredibly useful. What they seem to understand in a way I've not seen presented elsewhere is nothing less than "what human emotions are for and how we can use them to help us navigate our way to a better and better life". What's the scoop?

As unlimited beings of spirit, energy, vibration ... call it what you will ... we are constantly creating our own experience of life. The question is ... are we creating the the experiences we WANT ... or the experiences we DON'T WANT? And how can we tell? Along these lines, I've often heard people jokingly say "wouldn't it be nice if our lives came with a little dash board full of dials and idiot lights that told us when we were doing something stupid and when we were doing something smart" ... well, according to Esther and Jerry ... that's precisely what our emotions are!

From their point of view, negative emotions like frustration, anger, resentment, fear, doubt and the rest are indications that we're looking at life from a point of view which is NOT in harmony with our truly unlimited potential. In short, if you feel bad, you're looking at life from a direction that is NOT an accurate reflection of who and what you really are or what you're capable of creating. IN that moment, you're creating precisely what you DON'T WANT. Your negative feelings are trying to tell you "stop looking at life this way ... if you keep it up, you're not going to create the kind of experiences you want for yourself."

On the other hand, when you're feeling happy, peaceful, kind, cheerful, relaxed, satisfied, joyful and free ... it's an indication that the way you're looking at life is in harmony with the "real you", who is fully capable of creating exactly what you want in life. In those moments, you're creating the life you DO want for yourself.

According to the Hicks, our emotions are the most useful, immediate and relevant indicators of whether or not we're creating the life we want for ourselves or creating it's opposite. So ... when you feel bad ... learn to understand this as a warning to change your outlook and move it in the direction of "I am the unlimited creator of my own experience ... what do I want to create here? What do I really want?". And keep moving your thoughts in this direction until you start to feel good ... the indicator that you're now creating what you DO want.

Much of the New Age message is "stop looking to the world around you to tell you whether or not you're living your life as you should ... rather ... look inside yourself and pay attention to what you find there ... follow it ... trust it ... and find yourself living a life that works better, feels better and IS better." What the Hicks do in TAPoDI is give us an INCREDIBLY useful tool for figuring out HOW to do that. Let your emotions be your guide as to whether or not your living in harmony with your "best self" ... that's what they're FOR.

READING NOTE - The Hicks use the words vibration and vibrational a lot in their book, and to those who aren't used to this language, it can be a bit like reading a foreign language ... you see the word, but you're not sure what it means. The first time I read this book, I found their use of these words very challenging, as I was never quite sure what they were trying to say with them. But something drew me back to this book recently, and I had an insight. I started reading the book and jotting down on the page the word I would use in place of vibration or vibrational, depending on the context of the sentence. I re-read the entire book this way, and it made a huge difference.

In my common language, I found that "vibration" or "vibrational" could mean a wide range of things like spirit, spiritual, desire, the combination of a desire and my attitude about that desire, etc. The way it felt to me ... when I wasn't quite ready to hear what the Hicks had to say, their use of these words was very challenging to me. When I finally felt ready to listen, what they meant became perfectly clear to me. What do I mean?

What the Hicks are really saying in their book is quite simple. Human beings create their own experience of life ... we come equipped with emotions that tell us when we're creating experiences we'll enjoy and when we're not. If we take full responsibility for listening to the guidance of our emotions and using our unlimited spiritual power to create what we want ... we'll be unbelievably happy and fulfilled ... if we don't, we'll continue to live lives of mediocrity and frustration. The up side of this message is ... you can be as happy as you decide you want to be. The down side ... ONLY you can make you happy. My experience of life has taught me that MOST of us are NOT quite ready to take full personal responsibility for our happiness. MOST of us would rather belive it's someone or something else's fault that we're not completely happy. Someone or something else is keeping us from living the life we want to live. What the Hicks are saying is "it's all us, baby" ... "if you're happy ... you did it. If you're not happy ... you did it."

When I first read this book ... or tried to read it ... I wasn't ready to take that level of responsibility for my happiness. I still wanted to believe, at least in part, that someone else should fix my broken life. When I finally got past that ... suddenly understanding their words was not just easy ... it was joyful.


To get an even more "effective" presentation of the ideas the Hicks and Abraham are offering, try their audio CD's (recordings of their workshops). I find them REALLY helpful. In the workshops, the ideas presented in this book are explored from more different angles, with a broader and more flexible vocabulary, and with a wider variety of examples of using these ideas to address real life, every day "problems" of people from the audience. The CD's really helped me form a much more gut level, intuitive understanding of how we truly create our own experiences, how we get in the way of experiencing many of the things we want most and how we can practically and effectively change that, so that what we want becomes what we experience MUCH more quickly. The CD's helped me really understand that the biggest challenge to utilizing the material presented by the Hicks is that it's SO easy, it takes most of us a long time to get to the point where we believe that life really can be this good. But it can. My fiance and I have seen what seemed to be hurdle after hurdle just fall away as we've learned to truly and practically ALLOW our lives to be enjoyable and effortless. Things that used to feel like dreams to us are happening at a much more rapid pace and we have a very strong sense of the connection between the choices we're making with our emotional state and the results we're achieving in the "real world". Check out the CD's if you enjoyed the books. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Ask and It Is Given

The Hicks along with Abraham put it all together in this book. Most books (on any given topic, not just abundance) give you ideas and inspiration, but are not easy to figure out how to implement. In other words, many how-to books don't truly show you how-to.

This one does. It gives you IMMEDIATELY USABLE and USEFUL INSTRUCTIONS. The last part of the book lists 22 processes that you can use to attract what you want, explaining EXACTLY when to use them, and how. There's something for any situation you may find yourself in.

I would trade ALL of the other manifestation books in my library for just this one. It's that good, that easy, and that useful!

The Secret

Please allow me to share with you how "The Secret" changed my life and in a very real and substantive way allowed me to overcome a severe crisis in my personal life. It is well known that the premise of "The Secret" is the science of attracting the things in life that you desire and need and in removing from your life those things that you don't want. Before finding this book, I knew nothing of these principles, the process of positive visualization, and had actually engaged in reckless behaviors to the point of endangering my own life and wellbeing.
At age 36, I found myself in a medium security prison serving 3-5 years for destruction of government property and public intoxication. This was stiff punishment for drunkenly defecating in a mailbox but as the judge pointed out, this was my third conviction for the exact same crime. I obviously had an alcohol problem and a deep and intense disrespect for the postal system, but even more importantly I was ignoring the very fabric of our metaphysical reality and inviting destructive influences into my life.
My fourth day in prison was the first day that I was allowed in general population and while in the recreation yard I was approached by a prisoner named Marcus who calmly informed me that as a new prisoner I had been purchased by him for three packs of Winston cigarettes and 8 ounces of Pruno (prison wine). Marcus elaborated further that I could expect to be raped by him on a daily basis and that I had pretty eyes.
Needless to say, I was deeply shocked that my life had sunk to this level. Although I've never been homophobic I was discovering that I was very rape phobic and dismayed by my overall personal street value of roughly $15. I returned to my cell and sat very quietly, searching myself for answers on how I could improve my life and distance myself from harmful outside influences. At that point, in what I consider to be a miraculous moment, my cell mate Jim Norton informed me that he knew about the Marcus situation and that he had something that could solve my problems. He handed me a copy of "The Secret". Normally I wouldn't have turned to a self help book to resolve such a severe and immediate threat but I literally didn't have any other available alternatives. I immediately opened the book and began to read.
The first few chapters deal with the essence of something called the "Law of Attraction" in which a primal universal force is available to us and can be harnessed for the betterment of our lives. The theoretical nature of the first few chapters wasn't exactly putting me at peace. In fact, I had never meditated and had great difficulty with closing out the chaotic noises of the prison and visualizing the positive changes that I so dearly needed. It was when I reached Chapter 6 "The Secret to Relationships" that I realized how this book could help me distance myself from Marcus and his negative intentions. Starting with chapter six there was a cavity carved into the book and in that cavity was a prison shiv. This particular shiv was a toothbrush with a handle that had been repeatedly melted and ground into a razor sharp point.
The next day in the exercise yard I carried "The Secret" with me and when Marcus approached me I opened the book and stabbed him in the neck. The next eight weeks in solitary confinement provided ample time to practice positive visualization and the 16 hours per day of absolute darkness made visualization about the only thing that I actually could do. I'm not sure that everybody's life will be changed in such a dramatic way by this book but I'm very thankful to have found it and will continue to recommend it heartily.

The Law of Attraction

"The best scenario is to desire something and to bring yourself into the belief or expectation of achieving it...If you have a strong desire for something but you doubt your ability to achieve it, it cannot come, at least not right now, for you must bring your thought of desire and your thought of belief into alignment." - From the book

For several decades, a group of advanced spiritual teachers known as Abraham has channeled messages through Esther Hicks. What began as a series of audios has now been compiled in book and deck form, with Esther and her husband, Jerry, disseminating three major laws advocated by Abraham: The Law of Attraction, the Law of Deliberate Intent, and the Law of Allowing.

In The Law of Attraction: The Basic Teachings of Abraham, the Hicks' convey the fundamentals of the "Creative Workshop" which is the place that we enter, every day, as we ponder what we want--and don't want--out of life. They assert that individuals are always creating and attracting, regardless of ignorance of the three Universal Laws. We create by default, they say, just by thinking and speaking along certain lines--believing in the likelihood of a result and gathering confirming data from our environment. Here's an example of this creation from the book:

"The steady offering of details of illness is very influential in the increasing sickness in your society. If you allow yourself to focus upon the constant barrage of unpleasant statistics regarding the never-ending stream of possible physical maladies, it cannot help but affect your personal point of attraction."

Here are a few more snippets of Abraham's wisdom as conveyed in The Law of Attraction, as channeled by Esther:

"Your negative emotion is your indication that you hold beliefs that are contrary to your own desire."

"The more you think of what you want, the more the Law of Attraction will bring the evidence of it to you, until you *will* believe it."

"If there are others who see something in you that they do not approve of, most often you see their disapproval reflected back through their eyes, and you feel that you have gone wrong in some way. And we say unto you, it is not *your* lack, it is *theirs*. It is *their* inability to be the *Allower* that brings forth their negative emotion; it is not *your* imperfection."

"When you consider many subjects at the same time, you generally do not move forward strongly toward any of them, for your focus and your power is diffused, whereas if you are focusing upon that which is most important in any point of time, you move forward more powerfully toward that."

Now, let me share a bit of my impressions and experience. As a teaching, I was first introduced to the Law of Attraction by Michael Losier. In my opinion, his book of the same name is far superior to this title by the Hicks'. I had experience with manifesting what I desired before I read Michael's book, so I was familiar with the law of attraction. However, I have some misgivings about a portion of it, and here
is my reasoning:

Most times I read something on the Law of Attraction, I feel sick to my stomach. I was totally turned off by Lynn Grabhorn's Excuse Me! Your Life is Waiting, but found Michael Losier's book Law of Attraction pretty darn sensible.

Yet, I can't help but feel the Law of Attraction is a bit simplistic--offering only a portion of the big picture. I'm especially troubled that the Law of Attraction seems to fly in the face of the wisdom of avatars like Jesus. For example, the Bible encourages compassion with passages like "weep with those who weep". Yet, books like the Hicks' pretty much advocate turning away from anything unpleasant and instead focusing on "feeling good". After all, those poor souls are only attracting what matches their vibration--so let them suffer with their miserable magnetism.

I agree with Abraham that being joyful is the best gift we can offer to the world, but I can't see how burying heads in the sand will add good vibes to the planet. Yes, what you focus on increases--I agree with that, too. But to run away from those who are hurting and suffering merely because we don't want to taint our precious vibration field... It smacks of "fiddling while Rome burns".

While I appreciate the wisdom of the Law of Deliberate Intent, the Law of Allowing and even much of the Law of Attraction-- I can't help but feel something is missing from this picture. (Perhaps...heart?) I'm very big on "over thinking" to my detriment. And even Abraham advises that it's best to "follow good feelings" rather than monitor our thoughts 24/7. But for one such as I who is a "mental type", it's not so easy to turn off the constant evaluation of thoughts when buying into the Law of Attraction. It can create a cycle of fear, in my opinion.

To be fair Abraham *does* address this very thing in The Law of Attraction:

"...some of you feel uncomfortable with what seems like the overwhelming task of monitoring thoughts, sorting them out, and offering only those that will yield things that you *do* want. We do not encourage a monitoring of thoughts, for we agree that would be incredibly time-consuming and cumbersome, but instead recommend a conscious utilization of your Emotional Guidance System."

I totally concur with this idea, but the rub is that in order to be aware of how we create by default, we need to educate ourselves, in part, as to how our thought patterns, expectations, and emotional state contributes to manifestation. And that involves a degree of thinking/monitoring--at least in the beginning stages--which can be a bit frustrating.

I love the information on Segment Intending and the Art of Allowing, and know them to be very helpful in deliberate creation. I just feel that the way in which Abraham's wisdom is offered is a bit "top heavy". If you're just beginning your journey towards Deliberate (conscious) Creation, I recommend that you get Michael Losier's book, as well as two decks from the Hicks' (also published by Hay House): the Ask and It Is Given Cards and The Teachings of Abraham: Well-Being Cards.

However, if you want thorough information straight from Abraham's mouth, then you'll no doubt want to get this book. The Law of Attraction is quite readable, but the way some of the wisdom is presented may give you a bit of a headache--especially as you juggle some of the ideas on attracting undesired situations.

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php

The Astonishing Power of Emotions

In the book, "The Astonishing Power of Emotions," Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks illustrates the life-changing teachings of Abraham - the wise and visionary group of nonphysical teachers from outside of our realm--back in 1987.

In their first book, "Ask and It Is Given," they demonstrate how we are the creator of our own experience and that we can deliberately create with our every thought. In their second book, "The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent," the author emphasizes how we, as human beings can in fact gently guide our thoughts in the general direction of the things that we desire by the art of "allowing." In their third book, "The Law of Attraction," Hicks revisit Abraham's basic teachings to learn how we can attract all that we want by the most powerful law of the Universe.

NOW, in their latest and NEWEST book, "The Astonishing Power of Emotions," Abraham lovingly combines all of the Universal laws and shows us how we can gain conscious awareness of our emotions, so we can use our own feelings to deliberately bring into our life only the things we want. Hicks, in other words, believes that we can use the Laws of the Universe to solve all of our challenges and help us "go with the flow" of our natural Well-Being.

This is an AMAZING book for those who like to discover more about ourselves. I believe you do NOT need to have read the first three of their books in order to enjoy their latest book on the power of emotions. Overall, this is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED book of the year. A+

The Disappearance of the Universe

The Disappearance of the Universe is a must read for every modern day disciple of A Course In Miracles. The reader's passion for the Course is completely revitalized, and his or her practice of forgiveness is turbo-charged to a new and all-encompassing level. "Sooner or later, it always comes down to some kind of forgiveness and how willing you are to do it. How willing are you to accept that it's all your dream? How willing are you to release your dream and choose God?"
With over 400 pages, The Disappearance of the Universe is a fairly long book, but author Gary Renard has an honest and irreverant way of expressing himself, which makes it enjoyable and interesting to read. Renard doesn't hide behind the pretense of always getting everything just right along the spiritual path. Many examples of his own petty thoughts are fearlessly shared. Renard also has the welcome and rare ability to smartly restate some of the more complicated Course ideas in plain language that everyone can understand and apply. No mumbo jumbo. No compromising of spiritual principles to conform to popular psychology. No spiritualizing of money or sex. It's all so refreshing.

But I've saved the best for last. Gary Renard simply cannot resist wisecracking his way to God. Here are a couple of my personal favorites: "Love is letting go of beer," and "...it's possible to have both an erection and a resurrection." Maybe one of the best reasons to read this book is simply because it makes you smile.

A Course in Miracles

With all the other well-stated reviews out there, it may not be important for me to add my two cents, but in case there's someone out there who stumbles on this... First of all, I'm not writing this to persuade anyone about the Course. Some people simply won't find this conducive to their beliefs, and that's okay. But for those who are willing to give it a try, let me divulge a little about my experience with it. I'm spiritual but also extremely skeptical, so I'd never been able to stick with any one religion or philosophical doctrine beyond Taoism in its ambiguous glory. The virtue of the Course is that it doesn't matter whether the contents are credible to you enough that you can invest in it your lifelong faith, because when you start reading it seriously and practicing the workbook, you will soon be faced with evidence that this path is real and one worth taking. It calls for your faith, but not because you'll be damned to hell otherwise. Your faith in the Course is required just as therapy would require you to have faith that you can be treated.

Having been schooled in a wretched fundamentalist Christian parochial, I try but fail time and again to fathom a loving God, and I recognize this fact more clearly and painfully now that I've been studying the Course. So I approach the Course from a secular and/ or psychotherapeutic perspective when I can't handle all the spiritual overtones, and it works. Take, for instance, Newton's third law, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." We also know (esp if you're familiar with magick and witchcraft) that by some fuzzy logic "what goes around comes around," but the Course defines this in exact terms; whether it's God or our fellow men, if we put up a defense against Him/ them, we're doing the same to ourselves. By judging others, we judge ourselves, and as a child, by learning to hate myself as a sinful creature, I also learnt to hate God, even though on the surface I thought I was a devout 'God-fearing' Christian. The bottom line is that the Course allows you to bring along your doubts and to let go of them gradually as you become ready to do so.

But most of all, A Course in Miracles is a source of healing for everyone. If you're depressed or otherwise mentally unstable, suffering in some way from your past, or just stuck in some 'unlucky' life predicament, this book is a way out. Like several reviewers mentioned above, I never believed that one book could change my life. But it did. And I want it to do the same for anyone else who still wants to believe that there has to be more to this broken-down world than eating and working and sleeping and breeding and dying and then just maybe a Big Mean Judge waiting at the end. It's not easy, it's not instant gratification, but it's a solution and a permanent one, and it doesn't involve a bullet or fast train.

Practicing the Power of Now

Since the content of Tolle's books has been covered well elsewhere, I'd like to address the person new to Tolle and wondering where to begin.
In my personal experience, if I could only afford to purchase one book, I'd start with PRACTICING THE POWER OF NOW. I feel that it essentially restates the material found in the original POWER OF NOW but in a format I found easier to digest. I don't see much point in owning both books (which I currently do.)

If you connect with PRACTICING and want more, then I'd recommend the audio book/retreat Realizing the Power of Now: An In-Depth Retreat With Eckhart Tolle. (It's less than $10 if you purchase the audio file from Audible.) I'm only half way through listening yet I constantly find myself thinking "Ah...now I understand what he meant." It truly is an excellent supplement.

There is one more Tolle book here, STILLNESS SPEAKS. I borrowed this from the library. It's basically just out-takes from the other books, sort of a quotable quotes book that restates things in a nutshell. It would make a nice gift to a Tolle fan, but again, doesn't offer anything more than the other books. I suppose my message is: everything you need to know is in the original POWER OF NOW, stated perhaps more clearly in PRACTICING and excerpted in STILLNESS but supported well in audio format by the retreat CD.

I find Tolle's basic message very powerful, enlightening and simple. As he himself constantly repeats, he's not saying anything new...be here now. But he explains it in a way which finally connects the dots for me. Unfortunately, this simple message seems to be getting constantly repackaged and I hope it doesn't turn into a "Chicken Soup for the Enlightened Soul" series. (I should probably go make sure that's not the title of an actual book!

http://www.eckharttolle.com/eckharttolle

Stillness Speaks

Eckhart Tolle's second book has been awaited for a while by those who found the wisdom and grace of the first to be an extraordinary experience. This book is smaller on content and perhaps more complex in profundity. The Power of Now operated at all levels; it was one of those rare books which could actually get people to begin a spiritual practice with some seriousness, while those already in the swim found it to be a valuable guide. Stillness Speaks tilts a bit towards the already serious spiritual practitioner. Not that a beginner would not profit from it but my guess is that people who have done their processes and transformed themselves are likely to extract the most from this tight little spiritual classic.
Stillness Speaks has some of the feel of an Upanishad. A master discourses on important spiritual issues and you access the level you are capable of. When you come back to it, you find that the book has changed too, speaking to you at a depth you might not have suspected even existed - in you! Tolle is evolving towards an aphoristic style of communication; anything longer would tend to be false to the essence of being in the Now which is his difficult/simple message. It is a book that triggers rumination in you even more powerfully than The Power of Now. My personal favorite, something that set off a liberating snort of laughter, is the conclusion to Chapter Six -"Leave Life alone. Let it be."

I feel that not learning from this book would be a blunder.

A New Earth

If you got the concepts in the Power of Now, and love the simple, easy-to-understand message of that book, you will find a "going deeper" happening with this one.

I've always been one to disagree with spiritual teachers about the ego - that it's basically all bad. If it's bad, why did God create it? My feeling is if it is here on Earth, it belongs, even though we may not understand why.

That said, Eckhart clearly defines, with excellent examples, how our identification with the ego (and not the ego itself, mind you) keeps us from simply being in the present and instead tied to thoughts, concepts, mind-stuff, endless identification with people, places, and things. He shows us the many forms and faces that the ego takes up, and shows us the fallacy of identifying with forms in the first place.

To identify so completely with form is to identify with that which is doomed to extinction, causing us loss and sadness. Wouldn't it be better if we simply observed things from an aware state, and not get so caught up in them? This is Eckhart's goal, to get us to a place where we can see the benefits of raising our awareness, and actually wanting to do so.

Ah, easier said than done, I hear you say. Within the pages of A New Earth, Eckhart gives us precisely the tools we need to recognize and become aware of own folly. From that higher state of awareness, the flowers of enlightenment can bloom. And voila, a New Earth is born.

I find this book a great comfort.

How to Love Yourself

Iread most of L.Hays books in the early ninty's,they were a knight in shining armour for me,my ex husband left me for an older woman,i was left with 2 children,after 14yrs marriage and been with this man since I was 17,and then been 32 I headed for a nervous b/down,with support from my family and counselling,I read Louise's book,and found that the negetivity and guilt I was shouldering was his guilt placed on my shoulders all the years we were together,I didn't know me anymore,so her books were a Godsend at that time,with Meditations and Prayer and guidance, I was able to lift myself up,and find my own identity,and feel worthy.Now in the Year 2000,I have found peace,I attend a Spiritual church,teach Meditation and Personal deavelopment and share my stories with others.Since my breakup I have gone thru Cancer,but my faith now is so strong am able to cope,I believe in nurturing myself,I have 5 yrs clear since Cancer struck and I feel I can conquer most anything. Louise Hay has been able to share her gift with many and feel she has reached millions of people,turning their negetivity into positive healing.

Stress-Free

This CD has 2 parts- 1st, audible affirmations spoken by Louise. 2nd, subliminal affirmations with relaxing music that is audible. Affirmations work only if you WORK them. Louise's premise is our thoughts create our life. If we want to change our lives, we must intentionally change our thoughts. Stress, she says, and I agree 100%, is a result of fear. Affirmations on this CD include

-I am safe when I express my feelings.
-I have a great relationship with my boss.
-I flow easily and effortlessly with life.
-I am comfortable with my finances
-I can be serene in any situation

Louise says we must conciously make this work, we use affimrations all the time, we must chose to to use positive affirmations, they are what change our lives in the direction we want them to go.

I have expirienced huge changes including confidence and peace. Awareness is critical. I pay attention to how I feel and when I notice negative affirmations coming up I tell myself "I am totally adequate for all situations" or "I can be serene in any situation" over and over and over... As I said, this works if YOU work it! I never would've believed if I didn't expirience it for myself.

Highly reccomend, it will change your life if you let it!

Overcoming Fears

You have the power within you to help create the kind of world we want all of us to live in. ~Louise L. Hay

Louise L. Hay has a comforting voice which tends to take you away from any stressful environment. She provides a space where you can feel relaxed, safe and peaceful. She is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and her books have been translated into 29 different language.

In "Overcoming Fears," Louise invites us all to explore our inner worlds and asks us to imagine ourselves in various life stages where we felt safe and happy and loved without fear. Through this meditation, you visualize the way your world could be and the way you want it to be. Self-esteem, safety, security and the power of thought are all discussed in a meditative way.

The focus of "Overcoming Fear" is visualization and by changing the way you think about your life, you can actually start to become a more powerful force in your own life. Even after listening to this CD once, I found myself awakening the next day with much more positive thoughts.

While this meditation does not draw on any particular religion, there are a few items people of various faiths will need to consider on their own. By imagining the world as a more peaceful place, you can in fact start to make the world more peaceful through your own positive actions.

If you find this CD to be inspirational and healing, you may also want to find the givingloveaway.com CD which is a beautiful spoken-word gift to the world. This CD might also inspire you to give a donation to World Vision or to reach out to your own community.

I listened to this CD twice last night and woke up feeling healed, refreshed and much more rested than I had in weeks. My first thoughts were quickly replaced by more positive ones and I started my day with a much more positive attitude.

I think Louise's voice has a mesmerizing quality which can be especially healing when you are feeling stressed. You may want to make yourself a comforting place to listen to this meditation. Candles, your favorite essential oil and a quiet setting will enhance your acceptance of the ideas Louise presents. Music plays in the background as Louise speaks from her heart. You can hear flute, water (a waterfall or river) and birds chirping. There are two sections. The second section is filled with more affirmations and the focus is on changing thoughts of fear to thoughts of safety. For anyone experiencing panic attacks, distrust of their environment or general anxiety, this section can help you let go of fear and accept the nurturing environment of safety and trust. Forgiveness of others and yourself is discussed.

"Overcoming Fears" is a healing, beautiful spoken-word CD that will empower you and help you to find an inner world that is safe and caring. As you move into the world in a more peaceful state, you may notice your environment changing and others reacting to you in a more loving way.

I Can Do It

"I've written these cards as a way to help you create joy in every area of your life. You can experience wealth, health, romance, self-esteem, job success, creativity, and a life released from resentment and pain." ~Louise L. Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life

If you are looking for a way to create more happiness in your life, these cards can inspire you on a daily basis. The beautiful tiny box holds 60 affirmation cards a variety of subjects. You can read about romance, wealth, health, forgiveness, creativity, overcoming stress, job success and self-esteem.

Lately I've started to believe that you truly do hold the keys to your future. You can literally dream your future into life. Although, I am also convinced that you need a lot of encouraging books and encouraging people in your life to overcome life's immense and at times overwhelming hurdles. If you can find just one person who believes in you and a few books that bring an encouraging message into your life, you really can heal your world.

Louise Hay shows this positive philosophy in her "I Can Do It Cards." There are immediate and essential things you must do to heal your life. One of them is to encourage yourself daily. You can't give up and let yourself fall back into negative patterns that are defeating and harmful to your life. These cards encourage you to look at your life in a more positive way.

The first card says: "Love is all there is!"
Then, on the back: "Love is powerful - your love and my love. Love brings us peace on Earth."

I adore this card:

"I love myself exactly as I am. I no longer wait to be perfect in order to love myself."
Back of Card: "The greatest gift I can give myself is unconditional love."

While we often hear that we should love others "unconditionally," but how many times do we hear that we should love "ourselves unconditionally?" These cards are a wonderful reminder. The colors (lavender, blue, pink, yellow, green and orange) on these cards are beautiful and there are pictures on both sides. There are pictures of steaming cups of tea, sandy beaches, butterflies, angels, lots of hearts, treasure chests, flowers, birds, stars and I even found a picture of Louise's book: "You Can Heal Your Life."

The "I now do work I love, and I am well paid for it" card sounds just wonderful and I hope that reading this card will make some of my dreams come true in 2004.

Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and the best-selling author of 27 books. Her works have been translated into 25 languages.

The "I Can Do It Cards" may just be what you need to move to a higher level in your awareness of life. There are so many beautiful places we can go. Sometimes we just need a little motivation. You can put these cards on your refrigerator, in your pocket, on a bulletin board, leave one on a co-workers desk or even slip them into a card for a friend. In that case, you might need two boxes. :)

Receiving Prosperity

Louise Hay has her very own special style. This CD is wonderfully helpful. It helps you understand how prosperity is directly related to a person's thoughts. This prosperity consciousness is a whole new way of thinking for many of us. It encompasses more than prosperity alone. Louise helps you grasp this. She's a wonderful spiritual teacher and guide, showing you how to use this in your everyday life. I listened to this CD just last night before going to sleep. I find it extemely helpful to listen to this repeatedly, and I highly recommend it.

Self-Esteem Affirmations

When I first listened to Hay's affirmations (tape A as spoken words and tape B as subliminal with soothing music) in this recording, I said to myself 'Oh, my God... I don't want anyone to know I owe it...I am NOT THAT SAD', as I found them awfully embarassing (3 years ago). But then, recently I had experienced a really depressing phase of my life, a sort of middle-age crisis, feeling my confidence was totally destroyed. So I have played it while I was working (for only half a day for 2 days). Miraculously enough, not only didn't I find it embarasssing, but also I felt so poised and calmed that the panic crisis seems to be almost over now!! I am glad that I didn't have to rely on Valium.
Her guidance at the very beginning clearly said that the purpose is for ONE'S SUBCONSCIOUS MIND TO ABSORB THE MESSAGES which conscious mind would reject, which one should bear in mind. No wonder that such affirmations like "I am lovable because I exist" or "I am good enough just as I am" or "I love myself more and more evey day" sound too awkward to listen to when you are 'SOBER'. I doubt it's that useful if you CONSCIOUSLY try to remember the phrases as some of the reviewers suggest. However, I cannot deny this tape actually rescued me at subconscious level. Perhaps it may be the affirmations' power, or may be just the relaxing Hay's voice and the music that really helped me, who knows.

Anger Releasing

Louise L. Hay amazed me and shocked me once again with this tape. She created a way to truly release anger though a guided meditation by inviting you to confront five people in your life. Hay gives you permisson to say to these people,in your mind, everything that you always wanted to say but did not dare. She incourages you to let EVERYTHING go! Then she shows you have to use that anger and release it so it does not hurt anyone anymore. This tape is not for the timid, I have to admit I threw it across the room once because it made me so mad! But, it does work. By someone finally showing me I could give myself permission to be mad I also learned how to give myself permisson to let go of the anger!

Love Yourself, Heal Your Life

"These exercises will give you new information about yourself. You will be able to make new choices. If you are willing, then you can definitely create the kind of life you say you want." ~Louse L. Hay

Louise delves into health, fears, phobias, sex, self-esteem, money, friendship, addictions, work and intimacy issues. In her loving, caring way, she guides you through fifteen work"fun" chapters. I think this book is more fun than work. You will learn about:

1. Basic Techniques - Changing thoughts and releasing old beliefs about yourself.
2. Who Are You? What Do You Believe?
3. Health Checklist
4. Feeling Good
5. Fears and Phobias
6. Anger
7. Criticism and Judgment
8. Addictions
9. Forgiveness
10. Work
11. Money and Prosperity
12. Friends
13. Sexuality
14. Love and Intimacy
15. Your New Picture

You will find questions like: "What do you want that you are not having?" At the end of the first chapter there is a "Deservability Treatment" where you can read affirmations and perhaps extract one or two sentences for daily reflection like: "I am willing to create new thoughts about myself and about my life. My new thinking becomes new experiences."

There are many places where you can record your own thoughts about various topics like love, sex, work, money, success, failure and God. There is a place to write a story of your life and to draw a picture of your inner child.

The chapter on health might jumpstart a new healthy journey into nutrition and wellness.

If you want to pass this book along to a friend, you could also buy a small journal and make notes in the journal instead of on the pages. This book could also be used as inspiration for journal writing. This book gave me a great idea - to create an entire book just of affirmations. A lot of our self-talk can make us miserable or enlightened.

Louise L. Hay also focuses on reflection, meditation, visualization and relaxation. She presents a pathway to a more positive and fulfilling life that is filled with daily discoveries of beauty and nurturing elements. It is time to start loving ourselves more and time to heal our lives.

"Criticism breaks down the inner spirit, and never changes a thing. Praise builds up the spirit and can bring positive changes." ~Louise L. Hay

Heal Your Body

Author Louise Hay is a teacher, lecturer, and founder of Hay House Publishing. She contends that disease is caused by mental thought patterns, especially patterns of criticism, anger, resentment, and guilt. Festering resentments eat away at the self and can ultimately lead to tumors and cancers. Anger turns into things that burn, boil, or infect the body. A pattern of criticism can turn into diseases like arthritis, and guilt seeks punishment and leads to pain. In this book, Ms. Hay outlines hundreds of diseases and conditions, alphabetically, and the mental patterns that are associated with them, including each vertebrae of the spine. She has discovered these patterns through many years of study, her own work with clients, and her lectures and workshops.
She knows the power of healing by changing mental thought patterns firsthand: she was diagnosed as having cancer of the vagina several years ago. She was already a teacher of healing for several years, and saw it as an opportunity to practice what she preached. Despite knowing the power of replacing negative thought patterns with positive and affirming beliefs, she felt panic like most would at this kind of diagnosis. However, she felt that if she allowed the doctor to operate without changing the mental pattern that created it, the cancer would just come back. In fact, she believes that when cancer comes back, it's not because the doctor "didn't get it all", but because the individual never addressed the mental patterns that created the dis-ease in the first place.

In Ms. Hay's case, she had never acknowledged the deep resentment she carried for being raped when she was 5 years old and being battered as a child. As she says, we are often blind to our own patterns--even if we're healers or teachers.

Ms. Hay bargained with her doctor and asked for 3 months to work on the deep resentments and thought patterns that created her cancer. He grudgingly agreed, warning her that she was putting her life in danger. She began working immediately with a teacher to clear up her patterns of resentment, as well as working with a nutritionist to detoxify her body. Six months later, the medical profession agreed with what she already knew: she was completely free from any form of cancer.

She still keeps the original lab report as a reminder of how negatively creative she could be.

I have to admit, I never thought I would recommend this book to anyone. My first husband was a Charismatic minister who believed that words were powerful and creative, and taught this concept to his congregation. However, he contracted leukemia at age 28, and despite a lot of positive thinking and affirmations, he suffered physically and died. Entertaining the theory that he created his suffering, especially after believing in God, healing, and the power of words, made me mad. Very mad. I scorned Ms. Hay and her theories of blame.

So what changed my mind? I had a series of physical symptoms that I knew were connected to my beliefs and thought patterns. As a former Charismatic minister, I used to teach the same thing as my deceased husband. However, deep down, I don't think I really believed in co-creation, but just wished it were true--especially in the area of prosperity and "name it and claim it." After following a different spiritual path from the one in which I was raised and upon further metaphysical study and reading while working on my own thought patterns, I began to realize, deep down, that my thoughts were powerful and that there were mental and emotional correlations to my physical symptoms. It was then that I felt to give Louise Hay another try.

First off, let me say that Ms. Hay believes in taking full responsibility for your health without self-reproach of feeling guilty. The means NO BLAME. But if you're anything like me, especially one that struggles with guilt from being brought up in a fear-based religion, it's hard not to feel blame when exploring the ideas of metaphysical causation. Some people blame God or an evil entity for dis-ease, and others blame it on the environment, poor lifestyle choices or genetics. Ms. Hay doesn't believe in participating in self-loathing and self-blame when you get ill; this is yet another destructive thought pattern.

I bought Heal Your Body a few months ago, and I have to tell you, it's really helped me pinpoint issues I needed to acknowledge and work though. I was suffering sinus trouble, and sinus trouble supposedly correlates to being irritated by one person--someone close. I began to look at the fact that I held unacknowledged resentment towards my Autistic son because of the arduousness of dealing with his behaviors, as well as wishing my situation was other than it was. What mother wants to acknowledge she may resent her son on some level--especially a precious 4 year old with Autism? Yet, this is what becoming responsible for myself and my health entails: ruthless self-examination without self-judgment and self-blame. Then, it's possible to actually work on the root of the resentment, see where I was resisting reality and wishing it to be other than it is, and changing my mind and negative thought processes.

Needless to say, after a few months of working on it, the sinus trouble disappeared. (And it was plaguing me for many months.) I've had this work for me with other ailments, as well.

If anything, this book is a great starting point for examining our beliefs and thought patterns and observe if there is truth to Ms. Hay's correlations. If it doesn't seem to fit, sit with it awhile. Be honest with yourself. Allow yourself to explore the idea that it's possible. You may find some surprising insights into your health and your life, and begin on a path to a level of health that you never imagined possible.


http://www.louisehay.com/

You Can Heal Your Life

You Can Heal Your Life is all about using your thoughts to fix the problems in your life. What kind of problems? Well, the book specifically looks into healing some pretty major life areas: relationships, work, success, prosperity, and your body. But wait a minute, did I say the book is using thoughts to heal your body? What's up with that? Is that even possible? Well, after reading this book, I think in many cases, yes, it is possible.

While I think it is the way to go to treat things such as an acute appendicitis with surgery, fractures with a cast, and pneumonia with antibiotics, there are many conditions where conventional medicine blatently falls short. Of course I'm talking about health problems such as migraines, backaches, or stomach ulcers- you know, those kinds of nagging disorders where we all know that stress/mental processes DO play a role. But while few would argue that psychological factors can cause an ulcer, what about more serious conditions such as, say, arthritis?

Well it may not be too far fetched. Consider this. One study of 1,198 subjects found that only 56% of men with SEVERE knee arthritis had any pain (Lawrence 1966). Another study X-rayed 84 seventy-nine year-olds and 76 eighty-five year-olds and found that only 43% of them with SEVERE knee arthritis had any pain complaints (Bagge 1991). There are plenty more examples in the scientific literature, but obviously there two alone show us that there is NO clear-cut association between severe knee arthritis and pain.

ON THE OTHER HAND, when one looks at the relationship between psychological variables and knee arthritis, one does see a clear association. For instance, one study looked at 65 patients (ages 55 to 87) with hip and/or knee arthritis. X-rays, pain, depression levels, anxiety levels, coping styles, and functional impairment were all assessed. The findings? Researchers discovered that the severity of one's arthritis showed little relationship to pain, BUT, psychological variables were strong predictors of who had pain and how impaired they were (Summers 1988).

Along the same lines, Salaffi examined 61 women (ages 51-79) with knee arthritis. Here again, results showed that how disabled someone was, was more related to psychological variables than how bad their knee looked on an X-ray film. Interestingly, both anxiety and depression WERE important predictors of pain (Salaffi 1991). Any one conducting a literature review on Medline will find more such examples IF you're looking for them. While I used knee arthritis as an example, there are MANY more studies on other health problems with similar findings.

All of this should be causing us to raise an eyebrow. The literature is telling us that it is far from being clear cut that things like bad knee arthritis ALWAYS mean pain. And the research is also giving us clues that the mind and our thought processes definitely play a role. So the question now becomes, if bad thought patterns can play a role in health problems such as arthritis, why not in other diseases such as cancer, as the book suggests?

You be the judge. I found that the main value in this book was getting me to look at how our thinking does influence the functioning of our bodies- as well as our life in general. Note that I'm NOT saying that you can think yourself well all the time either.

Remember that while Louise Hay did change her thought patterns and was cured of cancer, she has also written that she used other alternative treatments as well, such as foot reflexology and colon therapy (Chapter 16). Therefore, my advice is to look at ALL the options when dealing with a health problem, one MAJOR one being changing your mental patterns (which is the what the book does a nice job of addressing). And for this reason, I can recommend this book to anyone who needs physical healing or otherwise. Other alternative healing books of interest include The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders and The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution. Thank you Louise Hay!

It's Not What You've Got

 I had thought this was going to be a storybook but the book has a poetry type feel rather than that of a story taking place. The book is written in rhyme and addresses a new concept on each page. With each turn of the page, there is a new poem addressing a new value to teach your child. I found the illustrations very helpful for discussions with children, for example: the big house pictured by and apartment building on the page "It Doesn't Matter What They Have."

This book has the potential to be used across ages as young readers will most likely just enjoy the rhymes, but as children get older, parents can use the examples and concepts for discussions related to real life. There will always be someone with more... and always someone with less than what you have. Teaching children to be positive at all income levels will build their self-esteem, pride, and confidence through life.