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Book Reviews
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- Holding Time, by Martha G. Welch, M.D. New
- On Ethics and Economics, by Amartya Sen
- The Crystal and the Way of Light, by Namkhai
Norbu
- Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
- The Science of Yoga: A Commentary on
the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in the Light of Modern Thought, by I. K.
Taimni
- Life Energy: Using the Meridians to
Unlock the Hidden Power of Your Emotions, by John Diamond, M.D.
- Freeze-Frame, by Doc Lew Childre
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
by Stephen R. Covey
- Anatomy of the Spirit, by Caroline Myss
- Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden
Lineage of Jesus Revealed, by Laurence Gardner
- The Cure for All Diseases, by Hulda Rudgar
Clark
- Selling with Integrity: Reinventing Sales
Through Collaboration, Respect, & Serving, by Sharon Drew Morgen
- Adepts in Fiction, a collection of short reviews
Holding Time, by Martha
G. Welch, M.D.
Reviewed by Rick Prater
I consider Holding Time one of the most important and profound books
every written. The book moved me to the core of my being and helped me to
expand my understanding of some of the deepest process of human relating in
ways that I had never considered before.
This is a truly revolutionary book in that it deals with the cause of the
problem of the lack of love and compassion in the world today. It also gives
a process for correcting many of the relationship problems that lead to crime,
war, and alienation. According to Dr. Welch, much of the solution to these
problems is in the process of creating strong and loving bonds between family
members, especially between mother and child. In Holding Time, Dr. Welch outlines
her technique of holding and shows how it can be effectively used to solve
a broad range of behavior and attitude problems. But holding can do more than
simply solve problems. It seems to move participants beyond normality to a
depth of feeling and communication which could be characterized as transpersonal,
or supernormal.
Dr. Welch began the process of her discovery as a training fellow in child
psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. There she developed
a treatment method for autistic children which proved highly effective. The
technique consisted primarily in a mother holding her autistic child for an
extended period of time. During this time, the child would typically begin
by resisting being held and then finally come to a resolution state of calmness
and heartfelt connection with the mother. After a number of such sessions,
the child began to bond every more strongly with the mother so that eventually
the child was able to relate, not only to the mother, but also to others in
an outgoing and socially responsive way.
In Dr. Welch's own words, "I theorized that developmental problems of children
might well be caused by a break or disturbance in the mother-child attachment
or bonding process, and that systemic and protracted holding might, in fact,
repair that relationship."
Dr. Welch later began using the same technique of holding with normal children
and was surprised by the positive results. She said that the levels of intimacy
and expressiveness that the normal children reached astonished her.
Holding Time is an overview of her discovery, with a full explanation
of the various phases in the holding process, many examples of dramatic improvements
in child behavior as a resulting of using the holding technique, and a number
of useful chapters on how holding can be used to solve problems that mothers
face, such as sibling rivalry, loss of control in the parenting process, exhaustion,
and so on.
According the Dr. Welch, the mother and father each have a specific role
to play in the child-rearing process. The mother is mainly responsible for
creating a strong and nurturing bond with the child. The father is mainly
responsible for being the guardian and protector of the process, creating
a safe space in which the bonding can take place, while also participating
in the bonding process to various degrees.
The creation of a strong bond of love between family members seems to have
a profound effect on the child's general attitude towards life. He or she
feels at home in the world and in harmony with the natural tendency to unfold,
develop, and relate in healthy ways. The child's behavior is not coerced from
without, but guided from within.
Dr. Welch outlines the following stages in her Holding Time Therapy, which
consists in the mother holding the child in her lap while maintaining eye
contact:
1. Confrontation: The child will try to avoid the holding session, and once
in the session will try to avoid emotional contact.
2. Rejection: If the mother persists with the session, the child will go
into a more active phase of rejection and physically and verbally struggle
to get away.
3. Resolution: If the mother persists against the rejection, resolution occurs,
which is described by Dr. Welch, "When both mother and child have reached
to the depths of their feelings, a catharsis occurs and the resolution begins.
The struggling, fighting, screaming, and avoidance behavior of rejection give
way to an intense closeness, both physical and verbal. The child usually begins
to caress the mother's face and to melt into her body. His gaze is direct
and tender. The decidedly hurtful comments expressed during rejection are
replaced by statements of love and affection. 'Momma, you are beautiful,'
' I love you,' and so forth."
One of my friends had the good fortune to attend a Holding Time training
of therapist in Kansas City, and had this to say of the experience, "The healing
that occurs, instantly, upon reaching resolution in these holding sessions,
is awesome to witness. I was privileged to witness many healings among these
average American families. There was not one family which was not transformed.
The light of unconditional love issuing from the countenances of average Americans
was incredible to behold. These people were not spiritually enlightened, they
were not specially trained, they had not prepared themselves by special fasting
and prayer. They simply arrived in all their shared distress, even desperation,
over the uncontrollable behavior of their children. They left peaceful, happy,
hugging children who had just finished coming up to Dr. Welch on their own
to thank her for this experience of holding. Some of them even asked Dr. Welch
to insist to their mothers that they hold them every day, without fail."
The book left me much more hopeful about the state of the world because Holding
Time offers a practical solution to the often perplexing lack of love
in the world. I was reminded that if we can all help bring about a spirit
of love and cooperation in the world, we have a good chance to help create
the kind of civilization and culture we can gladly bequeath to our children.
Click here to purchase Holding
Time by Martha G. Welch, M.D.
On Ethics and Economics,
by Amartya Sen
Reviewed by Rick Prater
Amartya Sen, a recent Nobel Prizewinner in economics, delivered a series
of lectures at the University of California at Berkeley, which are collected
in this book. Although clearly written, this is a somewhat specialized book
addressed to those with some background and understanding of economic issues.
I am reviewing it because I consider it such an important and far-reaching
contribution to world thought, and I would like to see as many as possible
in our modern world become aware of the issues and possible solutions the
book raises, even though many may not have the time, nor the inclination,
to read the book itself.
Dr. Sen's primary thesis is that modern economic studies have been artificially
divorced from ethics, but that any workable system of economics, that is one
which deals with reality, must take into account the ethical values that influence
economic decision-making.
Thus modern economic systems, while becoming increasingly complex, technical,
and sophisticated, have at the same time become increasingly irrelevant to
human values and experience.
Dr. Sen, in part, addresses this imbalance by showing that the founders of
current economic thought, such as Adam Smith, made the consideration of human
values an important part of their economic systems.
What I find so amazing is that many of the issues which Sen raises on ethics
and economics are precisely those which John Richardson raised in some of
his writings more than 75 years ago, when he stated that ethics must be the
basis of any workable and constructive economic system, particularly as he
developed the idea in The Brotherhood of Man and in Life and Action
magazine.
According to Dr. Sen, economic systems can be made more useful by paying
attention to the ethical values that shape human choice and behavior. Quite
often, people will act in ways that do not directly reflect their immediate
self-interest, but rather support the general welfare of society. In fact,
it may be necessary for such altruistic values to permeate a society before
it is possible to create a viable economic system.
We might also ask whether a widespread understanding and practice of ethical
values would contribute to the development of a workable economic system that
supports human life and all life on the planet. Our current system has surely
been lacking in terms of equality of opportunity, sustainablility, environmental
responsibility, and stability.
It will interesting to see the extent to which Dr. Sen's thoughts on ethics
permeate the field of economics. The fact that he recently received a Nobel
Prize in Economics indicates that someone is definitely listening and taking
him seriously.
Click here to purchase On
Ethics & Economics by Amartya Sen.
The Crystal and the Way of
Light, by Namkhai Norbu
Reviewed by Rick Prater
Namkhia Norbu received an extensive education in Tibetan Buddhism in his
native Tibet and studied personally with a number of great masters before
political conditions made it necessary for him to leave for India. For many
years, he has been a Professor of Tibetan and Mongolian languages and literature
at the Oriental Institute, University of Naples.
His book, The
Crystal and the Way of Light, is a remarkable overview of the three main
paths of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sutra Path, the Tantra Path, and the Dzogchen
Path, with an emphasis on the Dzogchen Path. He states that these paths are
not mutually exclusive, but can be followed in various combinations according
to individual spiritual needs and psychological makeup. After reading this
book, I came away with the impression that the Tibetan Buddhists have studied
the development and unfoldment of human consciousness with a degree of objectivity,
depth, and scientific sophistication that is almost without parallel.
In some cases it is necessary to separate Tibetan culture, which may contain
elements that appear unenlightened to the modern Western mind, from the actual
teachings about the development of consciousness which rely on timeless principles.
Throughout the book there is an emphasis on direct personal experience as
a verification of what is being taught.
According to Norbu, the Sutra Path of Tibetan Buddhism involves primarily
the observance of right conduct with the goal of liberation from the domination
of passions and desires and the achievement of enlightenment, which is the
direct experience of one's essential nature freed from all distortions and
limitations.
The Tantra Path involves the transformation of passions and desires into
their higher correspondences. Thus lust is transformed into love, anger into
the defense of justice, envy into unselfishness, and so on. The Tantra Path
works with the principle of polarity as it operates within the individual
and in the man-woman relationship. Tantra involves the complete mastery and
control of individual energy. Its ultimate achievement is the union of the
masculine and feminine energies, either within the individual or between a
man and woman. Such a union leads to an experience of bliss and the transcending
of the pairs of opposites in unity.
The Dzogchen Path involves working towards the living of one's life as an
enlightened being and relating to all experiences and activities as if one
were a spiritual master. This involves maintaining a complete state of wakeful
consciousness at all times so that every experience can be approached fully
and consciously from the perspective of the soul, or the real and essential
self. The Dzogchen Path uses various practices, such an yantra, which involve
slow movements similar to Tai Chi, as aids to purification, but its principle
practice is the continuous practice of mental presence, or the wakeful consciousness.
The social consequences of a group of individuals all working along the lines
of the Dzogchen Path are illustrated by the following story from The Crystal
and the Way of Light:
Change on a small scale can bring about change on a wider scale; the influence
of one being who is progressing towards realization can be powerful both at
the level of subtle spiritual influence and in the concrete terms of influencing
society. Namkhia Norbu's own master Jyanqub Dorje, for example, was not someone
who was considered to be a master because he had been officially recognized.
Rather he was an ordinary person who had followed several great Zogqen masters,
and who had put what they had taught him into practice. Through the power
of his practice he had manifested great clarity, and so as a result of his
qualities he had come to be regarded as a master. Disciples then began to
gather around him. He didn't live in a monastery, but in an ordinary house,
and his disciples, who included both monks and lay people, as they came to
live around him, gradually built more houses as the years went by, until a
village of practitioners had grown up around him. The kind of village that
developed is known as a Gar, a term which has the sense of being the temporary
or seasonal residence of nomads who may move on at any time, such as, for
example, when all the grass in an area has been grazed.
With the passing of time all kinds of people, young and old, rich and poor,
came to live together in Jyanqub Dorje's Gar. There was a daily provision
of free soup and simple fare for those who had no resources of their own,
and this was paid for by those who had more than sufficient for their needs.
Inspired by the master everyone offered what contributions they could to the
needs of the whole community. Those practitioners who lacked private means
were thus enabled to live, receive teachings, and practice at the Gar. Everyone
who lived there worked every day participating in the hard physical labor
of cultivating the fields, as well as collecting herbs and preparing medicines.
In this way, as the influence of the master spread through this group of
individuals drawn from all walks of life and all social strata, and as each
individual's awareness developed, a kind of cooperative that was unknown at
that time in Tibet spontaneously arose. The master never decreed that this
was the way things should be; he encouraged the development of the awareness
of his disciples, and out of their awareness evolved this response to their
practical situation and everyday needs. The pattern of the Gar was quite different
from the feudal system that still generally prevailed.
Many years later the Chinese began to make considerable inroads into Tibet,
and finally reached the point of being in a position to be able to carry out
what was called the "Democratic Agrarian Reform" in the area of
Jyanqub Dorje's Gar. Chinese officials and Tibetan functionaries from the
Chinese offices were going everywhere, visiting villages and monasteries,
to give them a thorough inspection with a view to reforming radically the
structures of their institutions and their patterns of labor and ownership.
Namkhai Norbu was at Jyanqub Dorje's Gar when a group of such officials arrived
there.
A visit by them was not at all like a pleasant social visit but involved
a very thorough inquiry that would usually lead to very drastic and sweeping
changes. But as the four Chinese officials and their Tibetan functionaries
carried out their inspection they became more and more surprised by what they
found. Since Norbu could speak Chinese, he was able to understand what they
were saying to each other.
They found it extremely strange that this master and the group of people
who lived around him had already lived for many years as a perfectly functioning
agricultural commune, completely in accordance with the Chinese socialist
definition of such a thing. There was nothing to be changed; no reform needed
to be carried out. Thus the Gar was allowed to continue exactly as it had
done before, and even when Tibet was finally annexed by China, the Gar continued
to function as a place of communal spiritual practice.
While tragedy engulfed all the monasteries of Tibet as they collapsed or
were destroyed, all that was changed of the Gar was its name. The practitioners
who lived there renamed it "Liberation Commune," which meant one
thing to the Chinese who believed they had liberated Tibet, and another thing
to those following the path of self-liberation. Jyanqub Dorje continued to
teach throughout all the tumultuous changes that overtook Tibet, and that
he was able to do so was a direct result of the awareness of the practitioners
of his Gar manifesting as a function of their practice in their daily lives.
As Norbu has said, "We walk, we work, we eat, and we sleep, and all
of these activities must be permeated with our practice so that none of our
time is wasted in our progress towards realization." Although Jyanqub
Dorje was continually active for the benefit of others and worked every day
at his practice of medicine, his own progress towards realization was in no
way impaired. According to Namkhia Norbu, despite his ordinary life-style,
he was a thoroughly extraordinary man.
Thus the master Jyanqub Dorje taught by his example of daily unselfish service,
and by his continual practice of the wakeful consciousness, how to follow
the path to liberation. His students learned from his teachings, followed
his example, and absorbed the essence of his practice through the vibrations
of this extraordinary human being. They were then able to manifest a social
outcome which expressed an advanced state of consciousness.
Out of the many books on Tibetan Buddhism I have studied, The Crystal
and the Way of Light is the most useful because it emphasizes the path
of daily living as a method of achieving higher states of consciousness.
Click here to purchase The
Crystal and the Way of Light.
Emotional Intelligence,
by Daniel Goleman
Reviewed by Rick Prater
In Emotional
Intelligence, Daniel Goleman explores the relationship between intellect
and emotion, showing how these two aspects of human consciousness can work
together to promote success, or can work against each other to bring about
failure.
According to Goleman, intellect gives us the ability to understand the objective
facts about what is going on, while our emotions supply us with the sensitivity
to evaluate the subtler aspects of what is going on and the values by which
we can evaluate what should be going on. When our emotions and intellect are
working together harmoniously, we can act intelligently with a sense of values
and we can grow and develop in healthy ways and develop satisfying personal
relationships. Goleman refers to this cooperation between intellect and emotions
as emotional intelligence.
Goleman states: "There is an old fashioned word for the body of skills
which emotional intelligence represents: character."
One of the things I found useful in the book is the use of stories to illustrate
many of the principles involved, both in cases where people used emotional
intelligence, and in cases where they failed to demonstrate emotional intelligence.
Goleman cites one case which played a part in his investigation of emotional
intelligence. He had just completed his doctorate is psychology. It was an
unbearably steamy August in New York City, the kind of day that makes people
sullen with discomfort. He got on a bus in New York. The bus driver was an
unusually cheerful man who greeted every passenger as they got on the bus
with a "Hi, how are you doing?" Then while he was driving the bus,
he kept up a running commentary on all the wonderful opportunities of the
city, a new play opening here, a wonderful exhibit at the museum, a terrific
sale at that store. The effect of the bus driver was such that it lifted the
mood of almost all the passengers in this bus to the point where, when they
got off, they greeted the bus driver's "So long, have a nice day,"
with a smile. This observation of the value of a positive attitude motivated
Goleman to explore the relationship between emotions and intelligence.
The author also brings in scientific physiology to show that different parts
of the brain are the seat of intelligence and emotions, and how emotions can
override the intellect with disastrous results if the individual has not developed
a sufficient degree of self-awareness and self-control to use emotions constructively.
Goleman points out how useful the emotions can be when they work in cooperation
with the intellect. He brings up the case of one man who had the portion of
his brain destroyed that related to emotional evaluation. Elliott had been
a successful corporate lawyer until an operation to remove a tumor from the
prefrontal lobes of his brain. After the operation he couldn't function as
before, lost his job, his wife, his money, and was reduced to living in a
room in his brother's home.
Although intellectually he was as bright as ever, and extensive testing revealed
that his logic, memory, attention, and all other cognitive functions were
as good as ever, he used his time terribly, got lost in all sorts of details,
and appeared to have no sense of priorities. The specialist he visited concluded
that all his faculties were intact except one. He could not feel anything
about what had happened to him; he had lost the ability to apply a feeling
to any event or choice in his life. Because all choices and events were the
same on a feeling level, he was unable to choose any one over another with
any degree of consistency, so that even minor details became the same in importance
as life-altering events. This story illustrates the value of the emotions
for making decisions which we might think of as primarily rational.
Goleman argues persuasively that our current educational systems are inadequate
for the development of emotional intelligence. While they concentrate on learning
and memorization, on being able to pass tests and come to school on time,
they often fail to address the fundamental issues which account for success
in life, whether material or social. Such success is promoted by the bundle
of skills which he refers to as emotional intelligence, such as: being able
to motivate oneself and persist in the midst of frustration, control impulses
and delay gratification, regulate one's moods and keep distress from swamping
the ability to think, empathize, and hope.
The author points out that these factors of emotional intelligence influence
chances of success much more than intellectual abilities. While basic intelligence
appears to be less subject to change, emotional intelligence can be expanded
and developed through the educational process to a remarkable extent, particularly
among young children.
Emotional Intelligence is a useful book for anyone willing to work on themselves
and to develop their full potential by using all aspects of their being harmoniously.
The combination of extensive physiological information about how the brain
works, the use of examples, and the exploration of how we actually live and
function, make for a helpful book in developing strategies for changing in
constructive ways. The positive examples used in the book can help us to develop
the self-awareness and motivation necessary in any program of constructive
change.
Click here to purchase Emotional
Intelligence.
The Science of Yoga: A Commentary
on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in the Light of Modern Thought,
by I. K. Taimni
Reviewed by Rick Prater
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali consist of short aphorisms dealing with the
path of Raja Yoga. Yoga is defined as union, and Raja Yoga is defined as the
method of attaining union with the real self using the mind as the instrument
of that union.
These yoga sutras were supposedly written down by the sage Patanjali sometime
before the time of Christ. It is thought that Patanjali put into written form
a system of spiritual development which had been used for thousands of years.
The yoga sutras, short statements about the system of Raja Yoga, require
deep reflection to draw out their hidden meaning. Since these sutras are written
in the original language of Sanskrit, for which there are often no equivalent
words in English, and since they deal with a deep subject that is to some
extent foreign to the Western consciousness, the commentaries by I.K. Taimni,
a long time student and practitioner of yoga himself, are very useful.
Although the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are from a different culture, their
approach is along the lines of science, with nothing less than a personal
demonstration of the statements therein contained as a suitable proof for
their validity.
What Patanjali attempted to do was to lay down a broad foundation of moral
development, give techniques of purification, and then help the student in
achieving complete control of the mind in order to attain higher states of
consciousness.
One of the side benefits of the successful practice of yoga is the attainment
of spiritual sight. Such spiritual sight comes about through the achievement
of complete poise. But the principal goal of Raja Yoga is in the development
of the powers and capacities of the soul with the goal of complete mastery
and liberation from all appetites, passions, and desire, and the achievement
of bliss-consciousness, or samadhi. The yoga sutras use the principle of active
thinking, taking it to the point where the mind is so totally concentrated
that it is able to penetrate into the heart of any subject and contact its
deeper meaning and essence.
An example of this power to concentrate, as stated in the Yoga Sutras, relates
to the practice of moral principles, or the development of character. For
example, in Book 3, Sutra 24, it states: "By performing Samyama on friendliness,
etc. comes strength of the quality." Samyama is intense one-pointed concentration
(active thinking) about any constructive quality. This form of meditation
has no resemblance to the unfocused dreaminess which some people think of
as meditation, and can only be practiced upon a foundation of scientific morality.
Taimni explains the value of concentration in character transformation by
saying that it is a well known law of psychology that if we think of any quality
persistently that quality tends to become a part of our character. This effect
is heightened by meditation in which the concentration of the mind is far
more intense than in ordinary thinking. When the Yogi performs concentrated
thinking on a quality, his mind becomes united with that quality for the time
being. The positive qualities like courage, compassion, and so on, are not
vague nebulous things as they often appear, but real, living, dynamic principles
of power which cannot manifest fully until we have refined ourselves sufficiently
to express them. A principle or quality sheds its radiance feebly if we think
superficially about it.
But its radiance becomes more intense as the thinking becomes deeper and
more persistent and the mind gets more attuned to the quality. When we concentrate
on a quality so that it becomes one with our consciousness, that quality begins
to live within us. When this condition of union with the quality ends on the
cessation of deep meditation, the effect of this direct contact makes a permanent
impression on the mind and increases the power of the mind to manifest the
quality under normal conditions. Thus with repeated one-pointed concentration
on a quality, the mind gets so attuned to the quality that its perfect expression
in real life becomes easier and more natural.
As Taimni states, "This is how the advanced Yogi can make himself the
very embodiment of the powers of love, sympathy, courage, patience, etc.,
and can express them to an extent which seems wonderful to the neophyte who
is still struggling to acquire those qualities. Samyama, [one- pointed concentration]
therefore, provides the Yogi with the most efficient technique of character
building."
Most of us are familiar with the use of affirmations and can understand how
such deep and complete concentration on a quality can be a powerful form of
affirmation and a method of rapid character improvement.
Even though the Yoga Sutras were written thousands of years ago, they are
still relevant to the present day because of their scientific nature. The
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali contain a scientific system of personal development
which clearly sets out each step of the way, and requires a personal demonstration
of every aspect of the path in order for one to qualify as a master of the
system.
Taimni's The Science of Yoga is a clear and understandable translation
and commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by one who has obviously deeply
practiced what he is writing about.
Click here to order The
Science of Yoga: A Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in the Light
of Modern Thought by I. K. Taimni. (This book is currently out of
stock, but might be available by special order. You can also contact the Theosophical
Publishing House or a used bookstore.)
Life Energy: Using the
Meridians to Unlock the Hidden Power of Your Emotions,
by John Diamond, M.D.
Reviewed by Rick Prater
There is an ancient tradition in Chinese medicine of using the energy meridians
of the body to heal. A well known example of such an approach is the use of
acupuncture needles to stimulate nerve points and thus help bring about healing.
Dr. Diamond has taken this approach one step further in his book Life
Energy by identifying the causal relationships between negative emotional
attitudes and physical illnesses, and by identifying the specific energy meridians
that are associated with certain types of emotional attitudes, whether positive
of negative. For example the thymus meridian, which is an energy pathway supporting
the immune system, tests strong when the person is holding the positive attitudes
of love, faith, trust, gratitude, and courage, and tests weak when a person
is holding the negative attitudes of fear, hate, and envy.
In Life Energy, we are told how to identify our negative emotional
attitudes and then how to counteract them by the use of positive affirmations.
Dr. Diamond first uses kinesiology, or muscle testing, to identify the negative
emotions that are being held. The body responds with weakness when negative
emotional attitudes are uncovered through a process of questioning.
He outlines a fairly simple approach which any two people can use together
to uncover negative emotional attitudes and then work to develop the positive
emotional attitudes that will stimulate the energy meridian to functional
correctly and thus help bring about health. He explains that health depends
upon the free and positive circulation of the life energy; anything that blocks
the flow of this energy tends to bring about illness. But we all have the
power to change our attitudes, restore the right flow of the life energy,
and thus help heal ourselves.
The book is clearly written, and based on the solid clinical experience of
Dr. Diamond. It is one of the most important books in the health field that
I have ever read.
Click here to purchase Life
Energy: Using the Meridians to Unlock the Hidden Power of Your Emotions
by John Diamond, M.D. (this book is currently out of stock, but might be available
by special order).
Freeze-Frame,
by Doc Lew Childre
Reviewed by Rick Prater
Freeze-Frame is a straightforward, practical book on how to maintain
a constructive attitude under daily stress. Scientific studies have shown
that maintaining positive emotional states has a beneficial effect on the
body. This fact in itself is rather well known. What makes this book of such
great value is that it gives practical techniques for transforming stress
and negative attitudes.
Scientific studies have shown that the electrical field of the heart is twenty
times more powerful than the electrical field of the brain, and that the heart
is connected to the brain via the barioreceptor, a large nerve which passes
from the region of the physical heart into the brain. Using these facts, and
some solid experimentation, Lew Childre came up with a technique using the
energy of the heart to reprogram attitudes by changing the electrical activity
of the brain.
The technique in itself is rather simple. It consists of placing the attention
in the area of the heart for about two minutes. During that time, the person
thinks of a pleasant memory. The pleasant memory then affects the heart, which
in turn affects the brain, which in turn helps change the attitude from negative
to positive. For example, let us say a person meets someone they don't like.
Instead of being the victim of that feeling, the person places the attention
on their heart, thinks of a past experience with someone they liked, and by
so doing tries to change their attitude.
The technique has worked for many people and has been used successfully in
a wide variety of business settings to help employees get along with one another.
A number of scientific studies have shown that the technique does in fact
work to reduce stress. The book also contains a number of other strategies
for maintaining a positive psychological state.
Click here to purchase Freeze-Frame:
One Minute Stress Management: A Scientifically Proven Technique for Clear
Decision Making & Improved Health by Doc Lew Childre.
The Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
Reviewed by Rick Prater
While Stephen Covey was preparing his doctoral dissertation, he surveyed
the success literature of the past 200 years, poring over hundred of books,
articles, and essays on fields such as self-improvement, popular psychology,
and self-help. He found that much of the success literature of the past 50
years was superficial, filled with quick fixes that were, at best, only temporary
solutions to problems. In contrast, he found that almost all the success literature
of the previous 150 years or so focused on what could be called the Character
Ethic as the foundation for success: things like integrity, humility, fidelity,
temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and
the Golden Rule.
As a result of his studies, reflection, and personal observations as a business
consultant, Covey became convinced that there are basic principles of effective
living and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness
as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character.
His book, then, is his statement of what these "Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People," are and how to apply them in daily living. He identifies
these seven principles as:
- Be proactive: Strive to act, rather be acted upon.
- Begin with the end in mind: Form a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.
- Put first things first: Determine what are the most important things in
your life and give them first priority.
- Think Win/Win: Try to have outcomes where everyone involved in a situation
wins.
- Seek first to understand, then to be understood: First try to fully understand
the other person's viewpoint before responding.
- Synergize: Cooperate creatively with others.
- Sharpen the saw: Exercise the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
dimensions of being regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways.
The Seven Principles of Highly Effective People is a marvelous book,
filled with deep wisdom about human nature, combined with many practical tips
on how to live in harmony with the principles of successful living.
Click here to purchase The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
by Stephen R. Covey.
Anatomy of the Spirit,
by Caroline Myss
Reviewed by Rick Prater
Caroline Myss began her interest in alternative healing by publishing books
through the Stillpoint publishing company. But then she gradually noticed
that her "perceptual abilities had expanded considerably." She became
aware of the causes of some of the medical problems her friends were sharing
with her, through direct intuitive perception. Soon knowledge of her ability
spread, and she began doing "readings" for people in health crises
and life crises of various kinds, from depression to cancer.
After a few months of working informally, she developed the conviction that
using her intuitive ability to help people with their medical problems was
her life work, and since that time she has "worked wholeheartedly as
a medical intuitive."
One of the most important discoveries she made was that many physical problems
begin at the emotional and mental levels of consciousness. Many times she
was able to intuit destructive emotional and mental attitudes and to predict
that they would manifest in time as a particular physical illness. Even though
initially there was no evidence of physical damage, sure enough, over time,
the physical conditions of disease manifested from the destructive mental
and emotional attitudes.
Since Anatomy
of the Spirit is a bestselling book, and quite readable and credible in
its presentation, it provides a valuable service in helping to convince people
that in fact destructive emotional and mental attitudes lie behind much of
what we consider physical illness. John Richardson said much the same in "The
Health Attitude" in Self-Unfoldment.
Caroline Myss also found that by changing negative emotional and mental attitudes,
many people were able to cure themselves of serious, even terminal illnesses.
Out of her work and studies, she was able to combine the teachings of the
Tree of Life, from the Jewish Kaballah tradition, with the sacraments of the
Christian Church, and the chakra energy system of Yoga, into a way of expanding
human consciousness and guiding behavior that is remarkable. (John Richardson
requested one of his students, Rabbi William Rice, to write an article on
the Jewish Kaballah, which was published in a 1915 edition of Life and Action.
Rabbi Rice noted a number of important similarities between the Jewish Kaballah
and the Philosophy of Individual Life.)
The Tree of Life is a visual representation of stages of human development,
similar to the spiritual planes spoken of by John Richardson. The chakras
are centers of energy strung like beads along the human spine, with the higher
chakras being associated with more expanded human capacities. The sixth and
seven chakras are associated with the development of spiritual sight, among
other capacities.
Myss identifies a "sacred truth" and a resulting ethical principle
at each of the seven levels found within the Tree of Life, the Christian sacraments,
and the chakras. For example, the first center of the Tree of Life, Shekhinah,
the first sacrament of Baptism, and the first chakra, the center at the base
of the spine, hold the sacred truth that All Is One. The essential ethical
principle is to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
Caroline Myss then continues up through each level, combining each chakra
with a sacrament of the Christian church and with a center in the Tree of
Life. She does a remarkable job of integrating these three systems into a
sequentially ascending ethical system for living one's life.
However, one of the drawbacks of her book is that she does not distinguish
between independent spiritual intuition and subjective spiritual intuition.
It is not clear from her writings that she understands the difference, and
this lack of clarity could create some problems for people who do not understand
the importance of the will and the alert and wakeful consciousness in all
spiritual work. On the other hand, she does make the ethical foundation very
explicit, and such clarity is an important contribution for the general reading
public.
All in all the book contains much valuable information, deep insights, and
is highly readable and interesting.
Click here to purchase Anatomy
of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing.
Bloodline of the Holy Grail:
The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed,
by Laurence Gardner
Reviewed by Rick Prater
This is a revolutionary book about the historical Jesus, which takes the
position that Jesus was a political as well as a religious leader who tried
to unite the Jews and Gentiles against Roman oppression. According to Gardner,
Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene, who was herself a person of considerable
spiritual stature; He did not die on the cross, but was revived, and lived
for many years afterward. He and Mary had children, and His bloodline can
be traced to the present day.
Gardner is an internationally recognized geneologist who gives a compelling
view of human history as the battle between the forces of liberation and oppression.
This is a thoroughly absorbing, well written, and revolutionary book with
broad social, religious, and spiritual implications.
[Note from Carole: This is one of the few books Rick and I tried to read
at the same time. Around our household, it was: "Are you planning to
read the book this evening?" "I'll be ready to read the
book in another hour" ... and so on, until we both finished it.]
Click here to purchase Bloodline
of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed by Laurence Gardner.
The Cure for All Diseases,
by Hulda Rudgar Clark
Reviewed by Rick Prater
Hulga Rudgar Clark is a naturopathic doctor who has practiced for many years.
Out of her rich clinical experience and scientific investigations, she has
come up with some unique theories about the origins and causes of illness,
as well as some specific, and she feels, highly effective cures.
In her investigations, she found that many illness were caused by parasites.
In this modern 20th century of personal cleanness, and the striving for almost
clinical cleanliness everywhere, the prevalence and destructiveness of parasites
is perhaps difficult to believe. But she claims, because of the toxic condition
of our environment, which in turn pollutes our bodies and weakens our immune
systems, parasites have become a significant problem.
She says that because of chemicals in our bodies, the parasites tend to migrate
to areas of the body in which they are not normally found, such as the brain,
muscles and nerves, and various vital organs, even including the heart. Depending
on where they are located, they can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including
insomnia, tiredness, the breakdown of various organ system, loss of memory,
and so on.
Building on some of the work of some of the pioneers of electromagnetic medicine,
such as Royal Raymond Rife and others, she claims to have discovered some
specific electrical frequencies that quickly and efficiently kill parasites
without damaging the human body. She offer definite instructions on how to
build such a device, with a parts list taken from Radio Shack and franchised
electrical stores with branches found almost everywhere in the United States.
One of the things which makes this book so potentially valuable is that she
not only provides a wealth of practical information drawn from her clinical
experience, but she provides concrete directions and guidelines so that average
people can help themselves with certain of her procedures, with a minimum
of expense and background technical information. So this is preeminently a
practical how-to book. I almost think this book could have been titled: "A
Practical Survival Manual for the Toxic Environment of the 20th Century World."
It is well know that environmental pollution is a danger, but the extent
and pervasiveness of pollution is perhaps not fully understand, not only from
the more obvious things such as smog, but also common household chemicals
which can cause problems of toxicity over time, especially when combined with
the stress of modern living.
Click here to purchase The
Cure for All Diseases by Hulda Clark.
Selling with Integrity: Reinventing
Sales Through Collaboration, Respect, & Serving,
by Sharon Drew Morgen
Reviewed by Rick Prater
In her book Selling with Integrity, Morgen outlines a selling program
which she calls "buyer facilitation." Buyer facilitation is a radical
departure from typical selling approaches in which the seller tries to manipulate
the buyer into purchasing a product. In buyer facilitation, the seller helps
the prospect in the process of discovery to see if the prospect actually needs
to purchase what the seller has to sell. Buyer facilitation respects the highest
ethical values in both the buyer and seller in a journey of discovery in which
the highest values are not the sale, but are the expansion and empowerment
of all involved in the transaction.
In her book, Morgen skillfully explains the complete buyer facilitation process,
and points out the underlying ethical and spiritual values which are the foundation
of buyer facilitation. She not only explains the entire process with great
clarity, humor, and interest, but she also relates the entire process to the
broader issues of personal satisfaction and personal development on the part
of both the buyer and seller, and in turn relates these to the larger issues
of a just and equitable society in which all human beings support the highest
good for each other.
Although this is a book about sales, it has broader implications of all areas
of human interaction, and for the path of personal development and unfoldment
that should be the birthright and opportunity of every person in a just and
honorable society. The practical implications of the processes of buyer facilitation
on a large scale are awesome, and could lead to radical and beneficial changes
to society on the global scale.
One of the things I found most useful in the book is the model of sequence
of interactions in the buyer facilitation process, beginning with the seller
helping the buyer identify and elaboration her needs, and ending with the
buyer asking the seller for help, if appropriate. The model is very simple
and elegant, and yet explains the process so clearly. This model could have
applications in many areas of human communications in which one or more parties
seeks to arrive at the truth in any given situation. The process is all about
serving and helping one another to grow and develop in a truthful, open, and
honest way.
This takes people out of a situation in which the seller is trying to control
and manipulate the buyer into a predetermined outcome (sales of a product)
and replaces it with a journey of self-discovery in which a sale might be
the outcome, but greater clarity will certainly be the outcome.
Drew Morgen admits that it is difficult for sales people to move out of the
traditional selling modes in which they have been trained to embrace this
new process. She admits herself that she sometimes has to work to stay with
the process and get her ego out of the way (she was a successful stock broker
with Merrill Lynch for a number of years), but she has found over and over
again that the process works, not only in terms of greater financial success,
but also in turns of increased moral and job satisfaction, and well as a high
level of customer satisfaction.
Click here to purchase Selling
With Integrity: Reinventing Sales Through Collaboration, Respect, & Serving
by Sharon Drew Morgen.
Adepts in Fiction
Reviewed by Carole Beckham
The forces of evil are material and atavistic, thus it stands to reason that
there would be forces for good on the material plane to maintain a balance.
At least, so three fiction writers believe. Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner
Harris in their Adept series share with us some adventures of well-placed
members of a "Hunting Lodge" in Scotland. Dion Fortune, writing
in the early 1900s, also referred to Hunting Lodges and defined them as "occult
police": certain groups of occultists who have banded together for the
purpose of combating evil occultism.
Says Dion Fortune of Hunting Lodges, "Upon various occasions I have
skirmished on their flanks and looked on at some lively forays. They certainly
possess means of obtaining information which point to co-operation from the
Inner Planes. They appear to possess alliances in unexpected quarters and
to be able to pull a remarkable number of strings. What psychic weapons they
use I do not know, but upon the physical plane they appear to rely largely
upon newspaper exposés, and upon keeping undesirables on the move,
never allowing them to settle down and organize." (Psychic Self-Defense,
pp. 208-209)
She further states that she believes that it is possible for anyone who has
need of them to get into touch with them telepathically. She was taught to
use a black Calvary Cross in a circle on a scarlet ground and, while gazing
at it mentally, to project a call out into the Unseen from the center of the
forehead. (Ibid., p. 209)
In the Adept series, Sir Adam Sinclair, mystic, historian, psychiatrist,
and Master of the Hunt, joins forces with a cast of characters, including
Lady Julian, detective McLeod, portrait artist Peregrine, Lady Philippa (his
mother), Father Christopher, and others to challenge those who would spawn
cunning plots to propitiate dark, elemental forces for the sake of material
power. In a series of five books (so far), their enemies have ranged from
neo-nazis to evil adepts who have subverted Druidic and Tibetan mysteries
for their own purposes. The enemy is always brilliant, devious, and powerful,
but no match for the forces of light, once they become aware of the dark and
foul doings of the left-hand path.
It is always true that the forces of light have more power, for they have
the capacity for love and trust. The forces of evil are incapable of love
and trust, thus are suspicious of anyone they attempt to join forces with.
It is always love and unity that saves the day.
Dion Fortune also wrote fiction, using it as a medium for her teachings in
the western mystery tradition. Her fine collection of short stories, The Secrets
of Dr. Taverner, is now back in print, such delightful, absorbing tales that
I rationed them, not wanting them to come to the end.
Dr. Taverner runs a nursing home in early twentieth-century England; his
adept exploits are related by his colleague, Dr. Rhodes, who has no background
in occult affairs, thus giving us a common-sense viewpoint on Taverner's doings.
People of all types, suffering from sundry psychic illnesses, are drawn to
Taverner's retreat in the English countryside, guided there by compassionate
forces on the Inner Planes when they are ready to take action to save themselves.
For, it is always the case that Taverner can only guide them to help themselves
(though admittedly he has guided some a little less gently than others). These
tales, written as exciting fiction, are based on true happenings and actually
had to be toned down for publication.
What I find interesting is the parallel between the contemporary work of
Kurtz and Harris and the work of Dion Fortune, who left the physical plane
in the 1940s. Perhaps Kurtz and Harris have studied the work of Dion Fortune?
All books by these authors have the underlying theme of western occultism,
through the rituals and symbols used by their protagonists. I, for one, can
only hope that books of this genre become widely popular. Kurtz and Harris
cannot write quickly enough for me!
Click below to purchase books in the Adept Series by Katherine Kurtz and
Deborah Turner Harris:
- The
Adept
- The
Lodge of the Lynx
- The
Templar Treasure
- Dagger
Magic
- Death
of an Adept
Click here to purchase The
Secrets of Dr Taverner by Dion Fortune.
