4 comments about Close to the Bone: Life-Threatening Illness As a Soul Journey.

1. Essential book for all whose lives are currently touched by serious illness. As a health care provider and one who has been personally affected by personal catastrophic health changes, I highly recommend CLOSE TO THE BONE.
   
   Patricia anne Dennison, Pharmacist and author of STOP THE VOICES



2. "In noisy wards crowded waiting rooms of country hospitals and clinics, in quiet private rooms in medical center pavilions or in well-appointed waiting rooms, examining rooms, or offices, wherever there are patients, there are long moments of silence, pauses, sometimes preceded by a sigh, a transient stillness when the air feels heavier."
   
   So starts this book--and if you have "been there" for yourself or with a loved one, you know about the silence pauses, the sighs, the anticipation.
   
   Written 10 years ago, and just updated, most of the information will never go out of date because of the perspective we all have: the reality of hearing you have a major illness.
   
   Most people don't give much thought to the meaning of life--how long will they live? This big question brings up the connection between what ails the body, and their soul's need for authenticity, love and purpose.
   
   Most medical doctors work with statistics, based on what you have: "You have about X years/months to live," and usually are not interested in stories about recovery. At those times, WE must take charge of our life and our attitude.
   
   The author says: Once we take the soul seriously--and this is one of the innate beliefs that human beings do have--then we are spiritual beings on a human path rather than human beings who may well be on a spiritual path.
   
   The author is a psychiatrist who understands how one person's diagnosis affects many around them--a decent into another world. Here is where that line between health and wellness is crossed and we enter the realm of the soul.
   
   Before "the discovery" that something is wrong, we live in innocence or denial--and then comes the change--the "after."
   
   The author made so many thought-provoking points about being sick, being hospitalized. How we are supposed to act--for the medical professionals, for our family, for ourself.
   
   She discusses the importance of keeping a journal if we have a life-threatening disease, noting both the small and big things of every-day life.
   
   I had a friend who after a long and valiant struggle died of cancer. She called the cancer "a gift" because of an outpouring of love from her friends, family and supportive community that she had never felt before. Today I still think of her life/her attitude as a "gift" to me.
   
   No one gets of life alive--we are all mortal. The author reminds us that the Chinese pictograph for "crisis" contains the ideograms for both "danger" and "opportunity."
   
   Armchair Interviews says: If illness is threatening how you live, this book will give you strength.



3. This, unfortunately, would be a book that may only be purchased by a person who was knowledgeable about Jean Bolen or open-minded about life-threatening illnesses or crises. Care takers would benefit from this book as it would enable them to come out of themselves and understand the person with whom they are dealing. There is so much more to death and the leading up to it than people realize or are willing to acknowledge. It's not complicated. It's a beautiful journey that we all should understand better. Jean Bolen guides us there gently, but clearly.



4. This is, by far, the best book I've read ( reading) addressing the "whole" person & how illness can affect them..this is an equally great book for the caregivers who want to help, however often in a controlling way, thus not always seeming "to get it." One can open communication with others with this book versus hiding or lying about their feelings & concerns..When I startedto read this book I felt like I "came home" & someone finally understood the real stuff going on..I have gotten this book for others both who are ill & those caring about them ..I am still buying a few more..Excellent book for all

3 comments about The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love and Compassion (Book & CD).

1. "Before you know what kindness really is
   you must lose things,
   feel the future dissolve in a moment
   like salt in a weakened broth,
   What you held in your hand,
   what you counted and carefully saved,
   all this must go so you know
   how desolate the landscape can be
   between the regions of kindness.
   
   ~Naomi Shihab Nye
   
   Sharon Salzberg presents kindness in a book about life lived with love and a CD to introduce kindness meditations. Through her work, you can learn how to bring more compassion into the world. She presents her ideas in six chapters:
   
   Compassion in Action
   Kindness Toward Ourselves
   Overcoming Cruelty
   How We See the World
   Ethics and Kindness
   The Intention of Kindness
   
   Sharon Salzberg teaches us how to see the good inside us and to reflect on things we have done in the world that are positive and nurturing. She recommends spending 15-20 minutes a day on doing something to be kind to yourself. You can also repeat phrases like "May I live in safety," and "May I have mental happiness." She also shows how a natural sense of morality can be born from a sense of empathy and in understanding that hurting others will cause your own suffering.
   
   How can we feel liberating joy?
   What is an enlightened being?
   Can you dedicate your life to kindness?
   How can you become a bodhisattva?
   
   While we all seem to move from unhappiness to happiness on a daily basis or a minute-by-minute cycle of life's ever changing circumstances, this book helps to bring us back to a more centered existence. Sharon Salzberg's teachings encourage you to live with an open heart and be a place of calm in the midst of the world's storms.
   
   "Kindness is the foundation of unselfconscious generosity, natural inclusivity, and an unfeigned integrity. When we are devoted to the development of kindness, it becomes our ready response..." ~Sharon Salzberg
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



2. This is a book that will shine a light in the darkness. Salzberg has a wonderous gift in her ability to remind us of our own beauty. I find myself re-reading these pages often when I need to remember my own, and when I need to remember to have compassion for myself and others. Her words easily flow from the pages directly to my heart.



3. Do yourself a "kindness" and read this book. I really enjoyed the CD which has three or four meditations that you can make a daily practice, without having to depend on the CD every time you want to meditate. I liked this book so much I gave it away! But, that is what you do with kindness, pass it on. If you like Sharon, please read her book, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. May you be happy and peaceful.

5 comments about The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved.

1. We are all involved in relationships. But most do not achieve real meaningful ones. Our relationships don't turn sour, we just become indifferent.
   
   We have been bombarded by messages that promise fun, excitment, pleasure and possessions are the answer to our emotional needs. But those are all feelings. And feelings change. They are not permanent. So no matter how much fun and excitement we pursue, it will not satisfy the basic need for intimacy. Our wants - material possessions - cannot fulfill our need for intimacy.
   
   Matthew does and excellent job of exploring what intimacy is and what it is not. Most people have a misconception of what intimacy is.
   
   The book is filled with very valuable information about the various types of intimacy - physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Matthew also provides the basis for a strong relationship. If you read and accept his premise, you will change the way you look at your relationships. You will understand that most relationships are self-centered and therefore almost always doomed to fail.
   
   The book is divided into three parts. The first part defines intimacy, the second part discusses the seven levels of intimacy and the last part discusses the 10 reasons why people do not have a great relationship and how to design a great relationship.
   
   Your primary relationship will have a huge impact on your quality of life. This is very valuable information and should be read by everyone who has not commited to living as a hermit.



2. we all know-more or less-the things necessary for a successful, fulfilling relationship. however, too often we struggle with how to achieve one. kelly offers some (common sense) insight and suggestions on perspectives and approaches to accomplish the relationships that we wish for. it confirmed much of what i knew yet was very practical. i highly recommend it.



3. Fabulous book, more people should read it and it would make the world a better place with better people.



4. Wonderful book on intimacy and it's necessity to the totality of the human being. The book has a neatly laid out theory or look at intimacy and even includes some great practicals on how to work towards intimacy in your relationships. Great read.



5. I never read it. I gather she liked it. Once you have achieved coming together as one and lost all sense of time and space I think you're a little past the seventh level.

5 comments about The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness.

1. Neo-Buddhist, Krishnas and all these other sort of "eastern" religion types don't really harken to the writings of the "ascended" masters, so to speak.
   
   This individual does what the neo-Pagan community has been wanting to do for years, throw everything out the window. He doesn't even try to talk about the classic masters, he just makes his own up.
   
   Isn't it lovely that these spiritual masters just appear to one nut-job and then bang, poof gone? Yeah... right.. more neo-Pagans trying to highjack reality.



2. I have read a lot but Gary Renard's book , 'The Disappearance Of The Universe' was one that changed my life and turned me around completely.
   Finally I got the answers to the principle questions: Where do I come from? Who am I? What is my purpose in this lifetime? What is my final goal?
   For me this book speaks the purest truth and is also the best introduction to 'A Course In Miracles'.
   I am very grateful.



3. Whether or not you believe two ascended beings teleported into the authors living room or not, this book contains cutting-edge spiritual wisdom. The heart of the material is truth that is at home with New Thought, Gnosticism, Advaita Vedanta and other systems.
   
   My warning to you is that reading this with an open mind will change you. Just toying with the powerful ideas presented here will start to undo your ego.
   
   Lapsed Christians may find the teachings about Jesus refreshing as Paulist dogma is stripped away so that the real lessons of Christ can be highlighted. Fundamentalists will be offended as Jesus is shown as a peer, and not an intermediary standing in the way of God's light,
   
   The book works well in parallel with A Course in Miracles or, I believe, on it's own. Readers who are daunted by the sheer size of ACIM might start with this book as a bridge to it's teaching.



4. Who is there to forgive? As someone has stated, "understanding is all", so it is key to have the correct paradigm in place and this book is understandably, commercially and comfortably way off the mark. What the author (and everyone misses) is the paradoxical "sword" that Jesus brings and revealed in many Advaita texts that, yes, it is all illusion and what many conveniently ignore is that this includes us. There is no God, God is; God is all there is and we're not (many here insert that we're God and this is another discussion...). Nonetheless the truth that sets "you" free is that "YOU" do not exist and have never existed and have no power to do anything, it is all being done for you. There are no doers anywhere and there have never been as there is only now so how could anyone appear AND from the past when there isn't any past to appear from! I understand this is the mother of all mindbenders but there is a plethora of information on the subject and may I suggest "people" like Tony Parsons and the late Ramana and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj who has stated "Salvation is not of a human, it is from a human..." the book 'I AM THAT' by Nisargadatta is a good start. You might also search non-dualism in google. Keep in mind it all a dream, a convincing, complex and contradictory one at that...



5. If you were to start reading A Course In Miracles without some sort of introduction, you'd probably give up soon. I know I would have even though I've studied Buddhism and metaphysics for a number of years. Disappearance really starts you out on the ground floor by gently introducing you to the concepts that are, at first, difficult to comprehend. Our egos will fight tooth and nail to keep us off the right track. A Course In Miracles is the best thought system that I have found to circumvent the ego and this is no easy matter. It does this in the same way as a Zen master. Throw heavy bricks at the ego until it crumbles and fades away allowing the true light to penetrate. We don't have to learn anything new to find the truth. We simply have to unlearn the old stuff. ACIM helps us to to that and Disappearance is an excellent introduction. I'll start on my second reading of Disappearance as soon as I've completed my first reading of Gary's second book "Your Immortal Reality".

5 comments about A Mystic Garden: Working with Soil, Attending to Soul.

1. Gunilla Norris' work is wonderful. The way she writes in mystical and wonderful. She weaves spirtuality into everyday things. I love her work. She is an amazing author.



2. Gunilla Norris is a truly gifted writer. She has a unique way of understranding the world and an equally unique way of communicating that understanding in her books. She savors everyday events and turns them into poetry. She asks us to take the time to appreciate the process of cultivating and nurturing a garden while being mindful of the kind of hard work that goes into creating its beautiful bounty. The parallel to life is clear. This book is a real treasure!



3. In our increasingly fast-paced, outwardly focussed culture of immediate gratification, Norris' book calms and refreshes like a drink of water for the soul. She reminds us that every visible blossom has deep and hidden roots that followed their own natural rhythms to produce the splendor that we call Spring. She calms the anxiety by reminding us that all good things take time. Her writing touches the universal heart and is as exquisite in its focus and simplicity as it is profound in depth. A must read for anyone ready to marry intention with action to create a meaningful life.



4. 
   What an irony! A contemplative mystic, who lives in Mystic Connecticut, writes a book of prose and poetry about a year in the life of her garden. What other name could a book like this have? This is a charming little book. It probably will not catch the fancy of more pragmatic people, but then again it doesn't try to. If you are into theology, philosophy, or "how to" books, leave this one alone. If you enjoy romance and poetic thought, take time to smell the roses in this mystic garden. Some things are better enjoyed than dissected. This is one of them.



5. Gunilla has a way of relating the simple, ordinary, mundane tasks of life to the profound. Her metaphor, in this case gardening, gives honor to the repetitive, unrewarding tasks which ultimately, hopefully, result in beauty and creative expression. She goes a step further by embracing the hard, disappointing and, in some cases, ugly into the landscape both of our literal gardens and of our ultimate garden: the soul.

5 comments about True Prosperity: How to Have Everything.

1. Heard the CD version of TRUE PROSPERITY by Yehuda Berg, a
   rabbi committed to the teaching of Kabbalah--the world's oldest
   body of spiritual wisdom . . . the book's subtitle says it all:
   SUCCESS WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS.
   
   Berg attempts to show you how this can be done, so that you
   can have it all; i.e., happiness doesn't have to bring about
   failures in other parts of our lives . . . and that is one of the
   best things about TRUE PROSPERITY . . . it applied not
   only to money, but to health and fitness, family and
   relationships, and lifelong spiritual growth.
   
   I'm not sure that I learned very much about the Kabbalah, yet that
   was OK with me . . . what I did learn were such valuable insights
   as the following:
   
   * Goals aren't enough. You have to continually seek more, such
   as when you've attained your goal.
   
   * Fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.
   
   * Things get worse if you don't take care of them.
   
   * When we focus on what's important on our list, we get the job
   done. Yet when we focus on what's not important, we will
   never get anything done.
   
   * We should really seek what we need, not just on what we want.
   What we went isn't what we really need.
   
   * Agenda-giving isn't truly giving. Truly give. Don't expect anything
   back in return.
   
   My only criticism of this informative program was that it was
   delivered by the author . . . his voice was a bit grating . . . here is one
   case where having a professional narrator would have helped.



2. I'm not so much a beginner that is why i was a bit disapointed, but if you are this is a good place to start



3. An excellent book for ... anyone who wants to understand what prosperity is all about. Wealth is the Light within, and this book ascertains what Great Books have propagated - Apply the rules of Light {Torah/Bible/Qur'aan}, and you'll get there. A great motivational book to give as a gift to your favourite employee, yourself, or the disciple you're coaching. It also guides modern-day entrepreneurs in dealing with Wealth reality.
   
   Yehuda writes beautifully in all his books!



4. Not bad, not necessarily new either, but let it work on you. The first day of reading it things happen and you feel and percieve different!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   If you live in Brooklyn, this guy Berg is like an Old Hasidic Rabbi, or Bach la Hai dropping some "jewels"(wisdom) on you on a subway, may not seem like much when you hear it, but hey, that deep stuff sneaks up on you!!!,
   and like your not on easy street, hey baby You are on the RIGHT PATH and easy street is were ever you place your foot!!!!!



5. I was a little disappointed in this book. Whilst it has all the basics covered, it did not bring any new or fresh information on manifestation and simply reiterated alot of what is in the Kaballah teachings without any new perspective or insight. I felt that it contradicts a few of the current (fabulous) books available on this subject such as Esther and Jerry Hicks teachings of Abraham - Ask and it is Given which is the best book I have ever read on this subject.
   
   All in all I felt that this little book was written to "get on the bandwagon" rather than produce a reference guide to prosperity.

4 comments about The Secrets of an Inspirational (In-Spirit) Life.

1. A great CD set that's perfect to listen to any time you're feeling down in the dumps and would like some wonderful advice to bring you out of the blues and into the awareness of what living "in spirit" means.
   
   This is the kind of thing we could all use more of. It's wonderful!



2. This series of CDs is absolutely wonderful and very inspirational! I listen to it in the car and when I get to work I am a different person. Please do yourself a favour and reward yourself with this exceptional course on how to be inspired and live at peace with yourself and the Universe and reap the rewards of doing it! And it's all so simple, Dr. Dyer uses every day language that we can all understand, and his examples are spot on. Some of the stories from his personal life are quite funny, especially the one about the butterfly (my kids love it). Hope you enjoy this too...



3. As every book or tape I listened to from Dr. Wayne Dyer this is just
   phenomenal. Its directly from the well of knowledge and with a full heart!



4. Wayne Dyer's easy voice and story telling capabilites make this collection of cd's one you will listen to again and again.

5 comments about The Love You Deserve: A Spiritual Guide to Genuine Love.

1. I just finished reading your book and it is fabulous! I feel it goes beyond any other self-help or relationship book I have read. You have IT - you are not searching for IT.



2. 'Genuine love?' What's that? Wow! An actual, authentic road map for the one and only true love. This book breaks through the most stubborn cynicism. I could not put it down I was so starved for the real thing."



3. Scott and Shannon Peck believe that genuine love between couples is a spiritual right. The goal of this book is to raise consciousness about how to make decisions that lead to a richer and more satisfying special love experience. 10 key ideas about love are discussed.

   Throughout the book Scott and Shannon Peck tell all. They are the joint voice of experience, and most chapters include their personal insights and stories. They both had first marriages that ended in divorce, they both went through an internal process of "being love," trusting in love, and envisioning a more loving mate. Then, as if on cue, the Pecks found each other. They claim to be "the happiest couple in the universe." Their authenticity and personal commitment to the path of love is deeply moving.

   That said, The Love You Deserve sometimes misleads by attempting to make the earthly experience of special love divine. Statements such as "the fusing of your Light with another's Light is what creates eternal love" and the notion that "perpetual intimacy" is something valued or willed by God is not accurate or helpful.

   This book received a score of 6.5 out of 10 from The Spiritual Reviewer.




4. I haven't read this book, but I have read the reviews. This is not the M. Scott Peck of the The Road Less Travelled. I just finished reading M. Scott Peck's "Glimpses of the Devil" in which he made reference to his first wife, Lily, as if they were still married so I am assuming that he is still married. If you enjoyed the Road Less Travelled and found it to be a challenging and helpful book, this is NOT the same author and you will very likely be disappointed.



5. 
   I bought this book because it was packaged with a book by M. Scott Peck,
   "The road less travelled". This book SHOULD NOT be package with any of M.Scott Peck's work, since it leads one to believe that the above book was co-authored by him. "The love you deserve..." is a light weight bit of fluff that is not anywhere near the caliber of the work of M.Scott Peck,and the advice in this book is simply not practical.

5 comments about Finding the Hero in Your Husband: Surrendering the Way God Intended.

1. This book, with all of its scriptural references, is a real treasure and sheds brilliant light on the unique role of being a Christian wife. I am in a 2nd marriage (married 6 months) and want very much to head this marriage down the path that God intends. I read several passages to my husband, who is also a Christian, and he agreed that Dr. Slattery has provided accurate insights to the needs of husbands. This book just "jumped off" the bookstore shelf. When I read the foreword and introduction to the book, I realized the challenge I have of being a woman with a strong personality who also desires to be a partner and an encourager, would be addressed in this book. Dr. Slattery did a great job of encouraging me to be all God would have me to be while also acknowledging my husband's role as "head of our household". Her understanding and interpretation of God's Word on this subject is encouraging and freeing! I am purchasing additional books for my female friends and family members. I highly recommend that wives AND their husbands read this book; it is a wonderful basis for discussion that can bring renewed energy and intimacy to a marriage.



2. It is a very informative book, and looks at the marital relationship from both points of view - from husbands view and wifes view. I like the fact that it is unbiased, quite often we buy books to re-inforce our own perceptions and ideas in order to justify the way we think and what we believe, but this is a challenge to both men and womens way of thinking. Bible based and edifying at the same time.



3. This is an excellent book. I recommend that everyone read this book whether you are just getting married or been married for 50 years. It helped me a lot. My marriage is getting better because I practice what she writes in this book!!!



4. This is truly a wonderful book. It is FULL of so much insight into both the male and female's way of thinking. It doesn't point fingers, nor does it place blame. I was so captured by this book, from the first chapter to the very last. There was not one chapter that didn't speak to me. The book really caused me to examine myself and the way I treat, view, and value my husband - and myself to an extent. I HIGHLY recommend this book! It is the most comprehensive book I've ever read on marriage. (I especially got a lot of insight from the "Headache" chapter.) If you're looking to be the wife - and/or husband - that will make your marriage all that it should be (according to God's plan), this is definitely the book to get.
   
   This is one of those books I will add to my daughters' - and son's (for my daughter in-law-to-be) - hope chest. (My children are currently 2, 4, and 10. So, they have plenty of time to read this; it's an ageless book).



5. This book has changed my marriage for the better! The author does a great job making this book informative and interesting at the same time. I have recommended it to dozens of people and have gotten lots of positive feedback!

5 comments about The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Destiny.

1. This is the book I have been trying to find for years! It's work to get through the projects assigned, but I have learned so much about myself and the things that truly matter to me. I am so excited about my life and all that I can accomplish now that I know my priorities and what it will feel like to achieve them. If you are looking for an answer as to why you are here and what you are to accomplish, this is the book for you. I have purchased countless books that have given good direction on how to lead a better life, but that was only because I took bits and pieces from each book . This book actually helps you define specifically how to be a better you and make a difference in this world. I highly recommend this book to others and plan to purchase more copies to give to friends I know are at that place in their life where they are looking for answers as to where their life should be going. This book does not tell you what you should or should not be doing. It is totally personalized to each individual. If more people were to read this book they would find happier lives - guaranteed.



2. This book is the greatest I have read regarding focusing on your passions, your desires which you must do before you set goals. It is an interactive book which makes it more personal. It isn't just words on a page you read and put on a shelf.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who has not focused on what they want out of life. Creating a passion list is the first step to a more fulfilling life, in my opinion.



3. reading this book I got the impression that I am being recruited, always needing to purchase something else, read a different book in order to get the "promises" made by the authors. This book seems to feed the need of an unsatisfied public, always looking for the "dream", in fact very Amway-like in its presentation. Book was used for kindling.



4. If you want focused, easy to apply guidelines on finding & developing your own passions this book is a waste of your time and money. If you don't mind having your focus constantly interrupted by the boring details of the author's ego trip to India, then you might enjoy it. It totally failed to gain & keep my interest long enough to dig out anything of practical value. The "effortless path" in this book leads to boredom, confusion, and disappointment. It never got anywhere close to helping me discover my life purpose. I regret buying the book.



5. I think it's a great book but if you are already familiar with law of attraction stuffs and self-help junkie like me, there is nothing new here.
   Although the way the information is presented is pretty nice. I would recommend it to people who are new to law of attraction and self-help.