A tiny, powerful book
June 30, 2006 | 7:07 pm
At 36 teeny, tiny pages, it’s hard to believe that “The Law of Success: Using the Power of Spirit to Create Health, Prosperity, and Happiness” could cover all (ok, I know better than to use that word…seemingly all) of the concepts other writers spend 200-300 pages on. But, it does.
Written by Paramahansa Yogananda, someone I am just learning about, it covers the basics of metaphysics/New Thought: You control your destiny, strive to see the image of God in all men, and believe that life is abundant. Each topic in the book, of course, is worth an entire book all its own, but as a quick overview that has amazing depth, it is quite the book. The author is also the founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, and it should be interesting to see what else they have to offer. The mission of the organization seems to be at least in part to bring Eastern philosophy, knowledge, and teachings to the Western world. It seems more and more apparent that what some circles call “New Thought” is actually a way of thinking that has been around for eons.
Posted by: Paramahansa Yogananda — Meg
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Books to buy!
June 23, 2006 | 10:01 am
According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2005″ (re: “banned”) are:
* “It’s Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity,
sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to
age group;
* “Forever” by Judy Blume for sexual content and
offensive language;
* “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger for sexual
content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;
* “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual
content and offensive language;
* “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher for racism and
offensive language;
* “Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;
* “What My Mother Doesn’t Know” by Sonya Sones for
sexual content and being unsuited to age group;
* Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for
anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;
* “Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language; and
* “It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth,
Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual
content.
Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the Alice
series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, “Of Mice and Men” by John
Steinbeck and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.”
The free flow of ideas is valuable for any number of reasons, so please pass along this list to anyone you feel would be interested. And, everytime I see Catcher in the Rye on the list, I am so proud of my high school English teacher in rural Western NY for having us read it!
Posted by: — Meg
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How much time should I give someone to “open up”?
June 22, 2006 | 8:52 am
Question:
I met a guy recently who seems very nice. But, when I ask about his past, he gets defensive and angry and doesn’t want to answer. He’s open about what he does for a living — he’s a developer — and he’s very open about talking about his ex-wife; apparently, she was extremely emotionally disturbed. But when I ask about how he felt, or what he used to do in response to her, or really about anything having at all to do with him, he lashes out at me. And then somehow he manages to turn the discussion back around on me, putting me on the defensive by calling me “nosey.” Should I be patient and wait for him to open up? I could see where it would be hard for him to trust a woman after his experiences with his ex.
Answer:
And you think he’s a nice guy? Now is the time to really pay attention to what is going on. What do you want from a relationship? Do you want to be with someone who communicates well and you get along with easily? Six months from now, do you think you’ll be having the same issues with him?
It’s easy for him to blame his ex-wife for all that went wrong in their marriage, but has he examined the role he played in it? Why was he drawn to a partner like that? How did he contribute to what he considers a bad relationship? I learned the hard way that individuals who have “crazy” exes usually play a role in the situation. It takes two people to be in an unhealthy relationship, and from what you’re saying, he hasn’t looked at his own contribution to it. This probably means he’s going to keep getting involved with and creating the same type of relationship over and over until he learns what he has to learn.
The question is whether you want to be a part of that. Granted there’s a normal progression to openness and communication as two people grow closer, but defensiveness and lashing out do not play a role in that.
Posted by: — Meg
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The Power of Intention, Part Two
June 19, 2006 | 2:52 pm
The rest of the book is every bit as good as — or even better than! — the first part. What’s perhaps especially interesting is how Wayne Dyer incorporates the principles in Esther and Jerry Hicks’ “Ask and It is Given” into his book. By using the “Ask” principles in explaining how to connect to “intention,” Dyer gives readers another way to look at these concepts. If you aren’t feeling it, or if you’re focusing on what you don’t have instead of what you have, you won’t be able to get what you want.
Another gem in the book is when Dr. Dyer quotes Dr. David Hawkins when he reminds us “One individual who lives and vibrates to the energy of optimism and a willingness to be nonjudgmental of others will counterbalance the negativity of 90,000 individuals who calibrate at the lower weakening levels.” Anyone reading this can make the changes to get to this spot…imagine how much better our world would be if more people vibrated at a high enough energy to counterbalance 90,000 others?
Posted by: Dyer, Wayne — Meg
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Not a book, but well worth checking out
June 12, 2006 | 9:27 pm
A 2006 movie does a terrific job of explaining the concept in “Ask and It Is Given,” more broadly known as the Law of Attraction. With just enough Hollywood-style hype to keep things interesting, the movie “The Secret,” www.thesecret.tv, is an entertaining and informative explanation of the power of your own thoughts in producing the life you want (or that you don’t and produce by accident).
Unlike the other big movie that dealt with metaphysical concepts, “What the Bleep,” “The Secret” picks a genre (documentary) and sticks with it. As anyone who has seen a well-made documentary knows, done right they are anything but dull. This one is clear, well-organized, and easy to follow. It offers up a clear and well-considered explanation how you can change your life – from finances, to romance, to much more – by how you think and how you feel. It’s an hour and a half well spent watching folks such as Esther Hicks, Jack Canfield, John Gray, and Joe Vitale be interviewed and share their views on the Law of Attraction.
Posted by: Hicks, Esther & Jerry — Meg
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The Power of Intention: Powerful Concepts to Change Your Life
June 8, 2006 | 6:33 am
I’m only part way through it, but what I’ve read so far of Wayne Dyer’s “The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way” is pretty terrific. His basic premise is that we all come from God, so we need to be as much like God as we can to have our lives be the way we want them to be.
Dyer outlines the “Seven Faces of Intention”: Be Creative (give form to your personal intentions), Be Kind (to yourself, others, all of life), Be Love (love is cooperation, not competition, and love is the force behind the will of God), Be Beauty (look for and experience beauty in all your undertakings), Be Ever-expansive (life is growth), Be Abundant (there is no scarcity), and Be Receptive (accept the guidance of God).
The next chapters go on to discuss the obstacles we put in our own way, and presumably how to get rid of those obstacles (I haven’t read that far yet….).
Would love to hear from anyone else who’s read it!
Posted by: Dyer, Wayne — Meg
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Breaking up is hard to do when there’s no relationship!
June 3, 2006 | 11:20 am
Question:
How do I break up with a woman I’m not even dating? I know that sounds silly, but I am good friends with a woman I know who wants more than just friendship. We hang out a couple of times a week, but nothing has ever happened between us. She keeps wanting to take overnight trips with me, and I am just not interested in her in that way. And yes, I do date women. I’m just not attracted to this particular one. I’ve never done anything to lead her on, and I told her from the start that I just want to be friends. But I feel like she’s not listening to me.
Answer:
I wonder why she’s not listening to you. You may say you’re just friends, but how many people past the age of 22 spend two nights a week with the same friend if they’re not dating? Jobs, hobbies, interests, other friends, even sleep – those things usually get in the way of spending that much time with someone who isn’t an intimate friend. Nothing PHYSICAL may have happened between you, but plenty of other stuff has, and it’s time to be honest with yourself about what you want and what you’re doing. It’s easy to blame her for misinterpreting, but people don’t get their ideas in a vacuum, so for her to hang in there with hope, you’re sending out signals (like, say, spending that much time with her).
“If the Buddha Dated” by Charlotte Kasl is a great book about being yourself and being true to yourself while dating. It helps you approach yourself and others honestly while going through what can be a challenging process. What type of relationship are you looking for, and what are you doing to get it? A relationship where someone has a crush on you that you do not reciprocate does not sound like a relationship of equals. It sounds like an easy way to play it safe and not get too emotionally involved. If that’s what you want, why? And if it’s not what you want, what the heck are you doing? You have to figure out what you want before you can get it.
Posted by: — Meg
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