1 comments about Interpreting Dreams A-Z.

1. Not only is this a useful index of the archetypes, but the illustrations in this book are creative and imagnative. The illustrations are the main reason I have a copy of the book. The illustrator should have her name on the cover of this book along with the author!

1 comments about Buda/ Buddha.

1. Esta es un exelente libro para leer despacio y hacer nuestra propia pelicula de la historia y al mismo tiempo una gran oportunidad para aprender sobre la arrogancia,el temor,la humildad y sobre todo el poder de nuestras mentes, fue un deleite a mis ojos que dieron la entrada a cada una de las palabras que esta historia relata, porque en esa pasarela lucio, la sensualidad,la admiracion y el amor... y algo mas

No comments about Soulmate : A Novel of Eternal Love.

No comments about La perfecta salud : La guía mente/cuerpo completa.

2 comments about The Sadhu Volume 1: When Realities Collide (Sadhu).

1. I like Virgin Comics, and I like what they're trying to do. Introducing Indian comics to a Western audience is something I'm surprised hasn't been attempted before, but I'm glad Virgin have given it a shot. It's nice to encounter Asian comics that are attractive both for their cultural uniqueness and for their interesting storylines. I feel I'm in the minority, but I can't stand manga - I find it childish and vapid - and Virgin's Indian titles seem like a breath of fresh air.
   
   That said, judging by this first volume, I'm not sure Sadhu is the best ambassador for Indian comics. It's a great idea: an English officer serving in India in the 19th century finds that he is in fact a sadhu, a kind of warrior-priest, with awesome powers and fighting abilities, which he unwisely uses to exact revenge. However, the execution leaves a little to be desired. This is certainly not the artist's fault; every page is wonderfully rendered. No, this is purely the fault of the writer.
   
   I'm guessing this is Chopra's first attempt at writing comics. His knowledge of pacing and structure in the medium seems to be severely lacking. Consequently, the story doesn't flow at all well. At times, scene transitions are so jarring that I thought I'd accidentally missed a page. Meanwhile, the dialogue often leaves a lot to be desired. This is particularly evident with the English characters in the story. Chopra's knowledge of Victorian British English seems non-existant; I could only imagine Dick Van Dyke saying some of the dialogue and that's never a good thing. That might not bother some readers, but as an Englishman myself, I found it quite distracting at times.
   
   Overall, I would say that I did get some enjoyment from Sadhu, but not as much as I'd hoped. However, the title does show promise, and I will probably be picking up the next volume in the hope that it realises some of its potential as the story progresses.



2. Forget flaws- what doesn't have them?! Overall this story is very engaging, and the concepts are authentic to yogic mythology. The art is top-notch, and I am excited to read the next installment. We shouldn't forget that it's a graphic novel- a comic, and we shouldn't expect it to be so amazing that we burn up in a spontaneous spiritual enlightenment- taking the book up with us in the flames! It's simply a cool story with cool ideas, good art, and good vibes.
   Peace to all!

5 comments about A Voluptuous God: A Christian Heretic Speaks.

1. I was born and raised Jewish, attending an Orthodox synagogue as a child and a Conservative synagogue as an adult. I now live in the mostly Conservative Christian community of Colorado Springs, CO. I never really felt drawn to organized religion and for years I found myself unaffiliated and searching for a spiritual home. For six years, I found that home at Lake Street Church. Bob Thompson's words have shown me the difference between religion and spirituality. They have also helped me to accept Jesus Christ - not as a messiah or savior, but as a rabbi, teacher, and mystic. I have learned to experience God on a personal level rather than as an omnipotent, wrathful, punishing presence.
   
   I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Voluptuous God, connecting with the essence of Bob Thompson's spirituality, and learning to relate to the concept of being a heretic. I have purchased extra copies to share with friends of like mind living here in Colorado Springs. I highly recommend this book to any and all spiritual seekers.



2. Being raised a Catholic was a spiritually alienating experience. I tried to live the Word but seeing others in my church being pious in the sanctuary and then being less than Christian in the outer world made no sense to me. So, for many, many years I veered away from Christianity. I never thought a spiritual book written by a Christian minister would help me change my attitude about religion. The chapter 'The Resurrection of Judas Iscariot' literally moved me to tears. I confess I have been in situations where I did not speak out or act upon a situation that required my attention. Several days after reading this particular chapter I came upon a homeless man. He was looking for shelter and food. While I could not give him shelter, I did take him to a restaurant for a meal. I don't think I would have done this had I not read this chapter on Judas. I am now trying to live the Word. Thank you for writing such a meaningful book.



3. Many years ago I abandoned the Christian faith believing it was obsolete. However, I always said if some new philosopher comes along who can articulate the faith in a way that reconciles it with reason and makes it relevant in the 21st Century, I will reconsider Christianity. Thompson does that in this excellent book.



4. This book dissents from and defends religion in very different ways than most. It is a masterful treatise on the religion of love, the religion of inclusion, the religion of the goddess, and the religion many of us have lost to patriarchy and intellectual dominance. There is little pious prattle here, rather a statement of the value of all religions, human talents, and dispositions. All are needed to truly solve our problems.
   
   The following summary was used in a discussion with Bob Thompson at Northwestern University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, in Evanston, Illinois, on November 30, 2007. This was one session in a semester-long study group titled, "Why Religion Matters." These notes highlight many passages and concepts but are only a small reflection of the richness of the material and the personal vignettes which illuminate Bob's ideas. We hope that this summary whets readers' appetites to experience the entire book. (Note: references, e.g."p15," are to page numbers in from which passages are quoted)
   
   The Introduction distinguishes religion of the head from religion of the heart. "Religion of the head involves thinking about life's questions in order to come up with answers. Religion of the heart is about seeing our innate and unalterable connection to all others as both the question and the answer" p15. "Religious orthodoxy is the inevitable result of thinking exclusively from the head. The heart is always a heretic, however, and its natural inclination is to upend the status quo...and see the human race as one" p16.
   
   Chapter 1, "For a Good Time, Call God" Asked if he believes in God, Thompson usually responds that it depends on what is meant by God. He cannot agree that God is a separate being with an extreme ego who controls the world. Rather God is a voluptuous ultimate reality which "calls us to laughter, love and joy" p23. "It matters whether we worship a God of distance or a God of intimacy. An intimate God is at once transcendent and imminent , beyond and within. We live in the Divine and the Divine lives in us" p27.
   
   Chapter 2, "What is the Soul?" Thompson also disagrees with the conventional Christian belief that the human soul is separate from God and corrupted by original sin. Rather, "The soul is a drop of consciousness in the ocean of God" p31.
   
   Chapter 3, "Soul Liberty." A preliminary title for this book was "Soul liberty - Meditations of a Christian Heretic." "Soul liberty is the freedom to seek the truth in one's own way, according to one's own conscience" p41. In this Baptist belief, a person may choose any religion or none and is only responsible to God for the decision. The chapter ends with several paragraphs on the importance of meditation, i.e. "opening to the inner teacher" p43. "placing our attention within ourselves," and "recollecting the soul." This work of a lifetime takes "our attention from life's broken surface to an inner truth" p44.
   
   Chapter 4, "Finding God by Subtraction" God is always present but lives in silence. God can be most easily found in meditation, prayer, or even in the awkward silences in conversations. Bob quotes Meister Eckhart who said that "God is not attained by a process of addition to anything in the soul, but by a process of subtraction" p 54.
   
   Chapter 5, "Do you Believe in Divine Intervention?" Does God answer prayers? Is God an activist? Thompson does not believe in a personal God. Rather, "The God I've met is impersonal or transpersonal. A transpersonal God does not seek out individuals by bestowing favor on some while turning away from others" p58. "We need the experience of an enduring presence that lasts an eternity far more than an intervention that lasts a few moments" p59. This enduring, compassionate presence helps us to realize that we are never alone.
   
   Chapter 6, "The Greening of God." The prevailing Western view has been one of patriarchy or the right to dominate the natural world. Now "we are beginning to wake up and see the earth as indigenous peoples have always seen it, as a living organism....Mother Earth, the Great Mother, the Goddess" p68. And God connects everything and is in everything that lives. "Water and air pollution, deforestation, and global warming are all symptoms of a deep brokenness...we must address" p72.
   
   Chapters 7-13 are an invitation to "Be a Christ," but not some distant savior dressed as a king, rather as one who lives a compassionate life. "We live in an eternal now. This is it... Spiritual truth is about fully living the moment we are in" p89. "Ego is the illusion that we are ...separate from each other, and separate from God" p99. "It is more useful to see sin as a condition or state of being in which we see ourselves as literally separated from ourselves, others and the Divine" p103.
   Thompson, as a heretic, says we should live beyond the belief system we've been handed. "Real spiritual strength comes...from our own inner authority, the authority of our own experience, the teacher within" p120. ."Christ is the Christian word for the divine energy that connects everything" p122. It is called by different names in Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and other faiths. It is intoxicating, so "it's not unusual for great spiritual teachers to appear to be a little too happy, giggly or simply `lit up'...Other people seem to light up when in their presence" p 126. "All will be well, no matter what...In our inner-most heart, in the soul, we know there is nothing to fear. And what we all want is nothing to fear" p128.
   
   Chapters 14, "God and Caesar - Religion and Politics." Introduces the concept of the politics of conscience, or the politics of the heart. It will take a massive act of conscience to bring peace to the Middle East or to mitigate the suffering in Africa. However, "conscience is always speaking, but often we turn a deaf ear" p139.
   
   Chapter 15, "A Greater Patriotism" states that we are surrounded by violence. "When we swim in it all the time, we just don't notice it" p146. But we notice terrorism and wonder where it comes from. Following Ury, Thompson says it's like a virus "that lies sleeping, then wakens and spreads throughout the body and attacks, as if out of nowhere....Violence prevention requires creatively addressing conflicts in their earliest stages" p147.
   
   Chapter 16, "The Hospitality of Heaven is a Queer Thing" addresses the issue of same sex relationships suggesting that LGBT people "need to be healed back into the larger community' p154. This is done thru agape love which, following M. L. King, is "an understanding, redemptive, creative good will toward all human beings...it is what Jesus meant when he said `love your enemies'" p155. This is not the same as to" like" your enemies. "Like," in any case, is a fairly superficial engagement.
   
   Chapter 17, "Surrender Your Life to Something Greater" Dealing with the ego is not easy. "We can be important one day, and a mere drop in a very big bucket the next. And when we realize this, we can let go of the need to be important" p163. True greatness, however, comes from our connection to others. Gandhi, M.L. King, and Mother Theresa all surrendered self will and said yes "to serving the human race, no matter what" p165. "The greatness of the servant comes from helping others to discover their greatness" p 166.
   
   Chapter 18, "The Devil is Not What You Think." Whether you believe in a devil or not, the most serious temptations are from those you believe to be allies. They appeal to altruism, ego, and power; persuade us that " life is a puzzle to be solved;"....and "reduce the meaning of life to a formula" p171...or "to getting life to go our own way" p173. Rather, "Life is amazing and astonishing....Every moment of life is remarkable. Every moment brings astonishment. Every moment is a mystery." P173
   
   Chapter 19, "The Things We Carry Around." "...to get over our narcissism, our self absorption, our preoccupation with ourselves. This is the very heart of all spiritual practice and it takes a lifetime" p179. "We reduce our our own suffering by letting go of the poison we carry around" p 180.
   
   Chapter 20, "The Spiritual Purpose of Our Relationships." "When I'm experiencing tension or discomfort in a relationship, I inevitably realize that I am struggling, not with the other person, but with myself" p187. A person is only fully developed through others. "We can't grow in isolation and exclusion" p188.
   
   Chapter 21, "Life is But a Dream." We need to be aware that life is neither permanent nor predictable, just "a succession of images and experiences" p 198 . "We are awake when we know that life is nothing more than a passing show." P201.
   
   Chapter 22, "Every Tomb is a Womb." "When we say goodbye to a person or a place we love, a part of us dies. We are then reborn to another way of life. When we go thru a divorce, lose a friendship, or fail to get the job we want, something in us dies while something else rises up." P 204.
   
   Chapter 23, "From Religious Tribalism to the City of God." Thompson talks about the need to cultivate interfaith relationships. This "encourages us to explore our own tradition and assumptions more deeply" p211. We become more welcoming to strangers, more willing to help them with whatever burdens they have, and more understanding of "what it means to be religious" p215.



5. Breaks free of the conventional bonds of indoctrinated, cookie cutter, christianity. A refreshing view of spiritually and the relationship of God with humanity.

5 comments about The Daughters of Joy : An Adventure of the Heart.

1. I am a longtime fan of Deepak Chopra's career, and despite the editorial review listed above, I found Daughters of Joy to contain great inspiration. It is definitely an inspirational novel with lots of lessons contained in the story--the book ends with fifty pages of direct question and answers about the issue of love and personal growth. So if you expect straight romance, this isn't the novel for you. However, I don't think that was the author's purpose. This is a direct, attempt to confront society's need for love as a saving grace, and the hero does ssomething not a lot of men whoud dare to do: he accepts a woman as his teacher and guide. For that alone, I think Duahgters of Joy is worthwhile. I wound up admiring the book and was glad I read it. Thank you, Dr. Chopra for continuing to get the message out.



2. Anyone looking for enlightenment will enjoy this book. Chopra's writing will help us change the core of our beliefs from a fearful society to a loving society.



3. I recommend reading this book ONLY if you have done your spiritual work, otherwise you probably won't get the message, which is, by the way, incredibly powerful and life changing! It isn't until you weave your way through the story that the true pearls of wisdom show up in plain english. I am so grateful to Deepak for being the vessel through which we can transform our lives. And whether you know it or not, the only thing you've ever wanted is Love.



4. For those of us who are enamored with Deepak Chopra's work, this delightful book will not be a disappointment. Intriguing life principles are cleverly woven into such an unlikely story that the reader finds him/herself truly engaged in the unfolding of a story that both informs and entertains, leaving one with gems of wisdom to ponder as we move through our own mystical journey.



5. I would offer that Mr. Chopra is best advised to stick with the non-fiction. There was a total lack of character development -- every character seemed to sound and act like Mr. Chopra himself. The plot was poorly constructed and downright confusing at times. Our book club read this one and almost unanimously disliked it. And I mean REALLY disliked it.

2 comments about The Higher Self.

1. A very metaphysical treaty or focus on usual self-help issues. It is a welcomed fresh approach using the latest scientific facts. One thing that gladly surprised me is that Dr. Chopra seems to understand and use well the concepts of quantum mechanics and field theory to base his hipothesis about the self, also borrowed heavily from hinduism. It is a powerful blend, and the limitless power it promises almost seems attainable. A very nice treaty and a break away from the crowd, although, sometimes the very same newness of these concepts (at least for me) gave me a little, somewhat bizarre taste of my experience of the world around me. I think this book is not ideal to go about in one sitting, it is very deep and better enjoyed in spaced listenings.



2. I bought this tape when it was first published. And at that time, while I was in the process of "searching", I did not fully understand the concept(s) that Deepak Chopra was explaining. However, since then I have read and listened to other books / CDs by Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Caroline Mysse etc. This morning on the way to work, I listened with new "ears" to this tape and find it to be a good supplement/reinforcement to "Creating Affluence", "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success", "The Way of the Wizard", "Manifest Your Destiny", "The Power of Intention" and "Ask And You Shall Receive".
   
   I am ordering the CD and will record it on my ipod so that I can listen to it whenever and wherever I am.

2 comments about Manifesting Good Luck Cards: Growth and Enlightenment.

1. Pick a card...any card! So we're on a huge spiritual journey and things are "how they are"...so we can still have a little fun to mix things up a bit!

   Manifesting Good Luck ...who wouldn't want to do that?

   I wish you happiness on your journey from here to there...

   but in the meantime...I wish you love! And I will share my card of meaning today for this moment...."As is an atom, so is the universe." On the reverse side of the card, it says truly eloquently..."When I recognize and see the whole in every part of the whole, I open up to the Magic of the Universe." and we certainly wouldn't want to miss that for a moment!

   A meaningful little elephant graces these cards, and I learned that his name is Ganesh and that he loves food...especially sweets! Perhaps the universe is calling you and these cards are sharing messages for your growth and enlightenment.




2. "The intention of the Growth and Enlightenment cards is to bring you insight and wisdom, and encourage you on your spiritual journey. As you work with the cards, you will practice the Law of Least Effort and the Law of Intention. The Law of Least Effort requires you to simply shuffle the cards and pick one at random. The Law of Intention asks you to focus on what the card says and how it relates to your life. Let's begin the wondrous journey into the world of infinite potential." - Deepak Chopra
   
   Illustrated in vibrant hues of purples and pinks, the Manifesting Good Luck Cards: Growth and Enlightenment is a 50-card deck imbued with encouraging, wise, and pointed insights. These cards come in a flip-top box that closes magnetically. One side features an affirmation, while the back further elaborates on the theme.
   
   Here is a sampling of these uplifting affirmations:
   
   * My inner self is my point of reference when I make decisions. When I learn to rely on my inner self to decide, I know I'm on the right track--regardless of anyone else's opinion.
   
   * I recognize that my experience of reality is unique. When I recognize that no one experiences reality in exactly the same way, or responds to it in the same way, I am free.
   
   * I am beneath or above no one. When I am independent of the good or bad opinion of others, I stand strong in my own divine power.
   
   * I recognize that the simple solution is the best solution. Spiritual growth rarely results from overcoming difficulty. It comes from finding the simple way.
   
   * With every new experience, I become something new. With every new adventure in life, whether it's a new job, a new relationship, a new friendship, or a new environment, I grow and am transformed.
   
   * I release the past to open myself to the future. When I let go of the known (my past) I accelerate the process of evolution.
   
   * My dharma is my destiny. Dharma is destiny without any hint of compulsion or force. It is the past of least resistance--the path that brings the greatest fulfillment and the most happiness.
   
   If you find the wisdom of Deepak Chopra enlightening and helpful, you'll enjoy the Growth and Enlightenment deck. The square, glossy cards are attractive, and the affirmations provoke contemplation and positive action while navigating your unique spiritual path. I especially like the fact that Chopra emphasizes unity consciousness and living in the Now, as well as personal empowerment and the importance of listening to--and heeding--the divine voice within.
   
   (To see 6 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

No comments about Cuerpos sin edad, mentes sin tiempo: La alternativa cuántica al envejecimiento.