Best Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts
In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. She is the co-author, with don Miguel Ruiz, of six books in The Toltec Wisdom Series , creator of “The Four Agreements for a Better Life” online course, and editor of Deepak Chopra’s bestselling title, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I am an undergrad student of philosophy and linguistics, a branch of the humanities. I also deeply love this series of books because of its obviousness and simplicity. There is a huge tradition of skepticism in linguistics, especially about how language is used in various cultures to create belief systems. A belief system is basically a set of instructions inside your brain based on language. These instructions help you navigate the stressful world around you so you can survive. We are psychologically wired to think our belief systems are accurate and experience deep stress if we find them to be inaccurate. You may not be surprised to find out that philosophy majors have not come up with answers to these questions because there is always a case where we are going to be wrong or have a counter argument. Much of the study of philosophy is the collection of vocabulary words to describe beliefs. They even have a mathematical component called propositional logic, where one takes sentences and reduces them to symbols and creates "proofs" but even prop-logic is under fire from academics for its complete inability to predict anything. I believe Miguel Ruiz must have taken a linguistics course as well--as his first agreement attests to the power of language. Both Saussure and Derrida (and many, many others) did work on how we form ideas in our heads based on language. The gist is this: we have something called a "symbol" in our brain which is composed of two parts: the word and the visual representation of the object (look up semiotics for further detail). These symbols are in our mind and work together to form meaning, then belief. If you really want a deeper understanding on how linguistics has saturated our belief systems I recommend reading some of their academic essays or get Rivkin and Ryan's literary theory books. To simplify: scientists and academics in the millions have tried and tried and tried to find "the true belief" for thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years and we have not yet arrived at any truth. The need to be right is so ingrained within us that we create a huge drama when someone contradicts our beliefs. - I take all gurus, religions, indictments and gossip with quite a high level of benevolent skepticism, which allows me to be free from the fear that goes along with these stories."
"Both are based on the philosophy of the Toltec, ancient people of southern Mexico who were known as women and men of knowledge. The author at times anticipates such problems on the part of the reader, and is indeed accurate in that regard. The Toltecs were not a race or tribe, or nation, but scientists and artists formed to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the “ancient ones”. The Toltec recognize that some 3000 years ago a human studying to be a medicine man woke to the realization that everything is made of light and that all that exists is one living being, and that light is the messenger of life because it is alive and contains all information. As children we believe what adults say, especially our parents, and our world becomes a dream, a reality built on symbols from others, not the silent feelings and observations that we experienced as infants. We live in a dream ruled by fear and filled with emotions of anger, jealousy, envy and hate. To escape our dream of hell, we must break the old agreements that are fear based and reclaim our personal power. The author suggests four basic agreements that you must make with yourself to reclaim your own power and find a heaven on earth, a life of joy and fulfillment. He feels that a sin is anything that goes against yourself, and being impeccable is not gong against yourself, taking responsibility for your actions, but not judging or blaming. He feels that gossip is the worst form of black magic, for it is judgmental language about others, even those we do not know. He gives the simple example of a child being told by her mother to shut up her singing because her voice was “ugly”. These are the type of agreements that we make in life that are harmful and destructive, that lead us into our dream of hell. And as you use such words, first by expressing love for yourself, you break all the many agreements that make you suffer, and begin to build your own dream of heaven on earth. Couldn’t someone’s anger be about us if our word was less than impeccable, but instead filled with the black magic mentioned by the author? I raise these questions in my mind because at times, as I read through this, it sounds as if one can “get a pass” for less than sterling behavior because he need not take others reactions personally. (True sadness from the passing of a child or similar “objective” tragedy is hard to relate to assumptions or taking things personally) I have found that people often assume my meaning, and sometimes take offense at something that was never intended to harm. I don’t know exactly why we are afraid to ask for clarification, maybe it roots back to those days when we were reluctant to ask questions in school. I think these two agreements about taking things personally and making assumptions are really part of a self centeredness that “it is all about me”. In fact it is really important to realize that it isn’t always about you, especially when the assumptions made generally do assume so and lead to taking things personally. Not making assumptions would seem to be one of the easier agreements to live up to, as it only involves a little bit of inquiry. I see his book as being primarily focused on reaching an internal contentment and happiness, not on navigating one’s way through the world at large. I just find a bit of a contrast between the focus of this work and something like “Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr where he acknowledges the need to survive in the competitive world as a means of gaining some level of confidence before, in the second half of life, we are able to discard much of the baggage of the first half and seek out a more personal and spiritual contentment. All see Western culture as imposing and espousing a very competitive, win/loose guilt ridden mentality. Such mentality may or may not be necessary for the struggles that we face, but, all my readings seem to agree that at some point our thoughts need to focus on attaining a more peaceful and inclusive level of spiritual contentment. By merely listening you show respect for the other person’s dream, for the reality he or she has created. The first Four Agreements taught us that out symbols are not the truth, and that many of these symbols–our entire symbology as he calls it- are lies that lead us to blame and shame and guilt, to a living hell. It is a war against that part of our mind that makes all the choices that guide us into our personal hell. It is that point where we come back to our real state, our divine self, where we fell a communion of love with everything in existence. We experience what he refers to as a resurrection, and it allows us to be wild and free like a child, except that we have freedom with wisdom instead of innocence. These books express a philosophy couched in rather mystical terms–in dreams and symbols, attention and awareness. I think he feels that a concept like goodness is also a truth that is intrinsically recognized and internal, and not a product of a value system that is imposed on us by others. But, at least to me, he doesn’t recognize such conditioning as being a necessary part of that portion of our lives when we must learn to cope in our world. The striking thing, as I read numerous books and other writings, and watch speeches, is the basic consistency in the message of oneness and the need to abandon, at least temporarily, much of what we have “learned” in order to open our minds, or perhaps clear our minds, so that we can receive the gift of interconnectedness."
"The Four Agreements are: - Be Impeccable With Your Words. - Don't Take Anything Personally. - Don't Make Assumptions. - Always Do Your Best. -When he says be Impeccable With Your Word, he means you should always speak,with integrity. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering. - when he says Don't Make Assumptions, he means you must find the the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want."
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •. An eye-opening, no-holds-barred memoir about life in the Church of Scientology, now with a new afterword by the author—the outspoken actress and star of the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an actress and advancing Scientology’s causes grew increasingly intertwined. Troublemaker is the most raw and revealing Scientology memoir to date.” — Entertainment Weekly “Leah’s story is a juicy, inside-Hollywood read, but it’s more than that. Leah Remini is an actor, producer, and writer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's 7:20 AM as I write this, and I haven't slept since I started reading this book, moments after downloading it. When I heard advance word of the release, having read just about every book there is on the subject of Scientology (from Inside Scientology, to Bare Faced Messiah, to Beyond Belief to The Unbreakable Miss Lovely), from personal accounts to journalistic exposes, I eagerly anticipated Troublemaker. I can't wait to read the remaining 20%, and regardless of my ignorance of her acting career, with this book she's become one of my favorite people. And if you're looking for a real window into the bizarre, rarefied world of celebrity scientologists (Leah attending Tom Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes, for example, and the subsequent fallout after she is brazenly manipulated to get J Lo and Marc Anthony to attend as well, is jaw dropping) you need look no further."
"I was not disappointed, but in the process of learning a bit more about scientology, there were some really interesting insights into her childhood, as well as her experiences getting into show businesses. This is a very quick read and it starts off right away by jumping into the issue of Scientology, so, if that is the reason why you are picking up the book, I recommend it for that aspect. It is also interesting to see how the fall-out and consequences for breaking with the church comes to light, in particular, Leah outlines her own humanity, pointing out areas in her life where she has messed up at the very start of the book, essentially expected to get sued by Scientology."
"I'm not a "fangirl" of Leah Remini though I've always thought she was funny, beautiful, and brash (in a good way). Leah really holds nothing back in this book, she writes like she talks, funny and brash but not an obnoxious way. Ms. Halbreich came from a very wealthy family, married into wealth, got divorced, and got a job on the sales floor at Bergdorfs."
In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth century’s most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls." While much has been written about Charles Manson, this riveting account from an actual Family member is a chilling portrait that recreates in vivid detail one of the most horrifying and fascinating chapters in modern American history. Joining the group with little more than an old note from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them, the two years that followed were a mixture of sexual manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse, as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Manson’s true nature revealed themselves to the impressionable teenager. Drawing upon never-before-told stories, Dianne delivers an inside account of how Manson’s paranoid volatility grew over time, mixing dangerously with his con-artist sensibilities and fondness for using physical violence to poison the group, culminating in the final chaotic months before the horrific Tate-LaBianca murders brought the idealism of the 1960s to a stunning conclusion.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Having viewed the PBS, “Summer of Love” documentary and seeing Netflix’s, “Mindhunter”, (which is a great book also), one significant key lies within this highly introspective account. In light of current sex abuse scandals & the high incidence of pedophilia, I wondered how many of those vulnerable kids were escaping molesting environments and dysfunctional homes. I hope the insight in these books & programs available to the public, along with the daily increasing voices of women & men who’ve survived sexual abuse will make great change in how children are treated."
"Written by one of the few Manson women who doesn't need to hide or cover up anything, this is a unique look inside the workings of the Family. Her parents had already dropped out of society, and were living in a bread truck or various crash pads (including a stint at Wavy Gravy's Hog Farm Commune) before Dianne went off on her own."
"What she just accepted as Charlie's fiats back then, she now realizes were part of his plan for control and success. Whether you're interested in Manson, true crime, or biographies of people who successfully overcome the odds, it's a great read."
"She may not have been part of the "inner core" as far as the hardcore criminal aspect, but was definitely one of the core Family members when people think of the Manson Family. My bottom line though is that I think this is an interesting book for random people with interests about The Manson Family or cult member mentalities, as well as people like me (of which there are many) who have gone very in depth in their reading and research about this subject.."
Best Baha'i
American Indians and the Bahá’í Faith is a compilation of Sacred and Inspirational Writings from the Bahá’í Writings pertaining to Indians in the Americas. Dr. Littlebrave Beaston (Tsimshean, Makah, and Greek) received her Naturopathic Doctorate and Masters in Acupuncture at Bastyr University and her M. Ed in Counseling from North Dakota State University.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"To see the massive 584 page document into which this project has grown speaks volumes about the dedication, determination and organizational capacity of it compiler author."
Best Religious Cults
"On Saturday night I would see men lusting after halfnaked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing the organ for tent-show evangelists at the other end of the carnival lot, I would see these same men sitting in the pews with their wives and children, asking God to forgive them and purge them of carnal desires. He had seen the need for a church that would recapture man's body and his carnal desires as objects of celebration. The Satanic Bible is less bible and more philosophy (with a few rituals thrown in to keep us entertained), but this philosophy is the backbone of a religion that, until LaVey entered the scene, was merely a myth of the Christian church.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"excellent great book, love it."
"Great read whether your looking to become a satanist or just curious about the views of the satanist Its a must buy :)."
"The fact that someone had similar views to me, the fact someone has since the 60s for that matter, made me feel less alone, less weird, and less of a horrible person for thinking the way I always have."
"It's a good little book, I got it as a gift for a friend."
"I whish I would have read this book earlier in my life."
"A book that has changed my life for the best!!"
Best Demonology & Satanism
Then she met Dr. Rebecca Brown, who served her master, Jesus Christ, with equal commitment.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"we fight a spiritual battle and this is the story of one."
"Amazing....I should have gotten it sooner."
"An exceptionally written resource of paramount importance!"
"Loved it, I must admit some of the story was like looking at a horror movie when I wanted to close my eyes in fear but God just showed up and pulled me through it."
"MUST READ THIS BOOK - You will be set free by the power of Lord Jesus Christ. Finally she was set free by the power of Lord Jesus Christ!"
"This book was in new condition."
Best Eckankar
Starting a church from scratch? Sharing their story of launching The Journey Church in New York City, Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas offer not just church planting theory but invaluable boots-on-the-ground experience of starting with nothing and then watching membership grow to more than a thousand people in three years. Let this book. be your tool kit to launch a dynamic church from scratch--starting today. He is the author of more than seventy-five church growth resources and twelve books, including The Generosity Ladder , Maximize , Connect , and Ignite .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Nelson lays out a bold and courageous pathway that is proven in his own experience, tested, fact based and data driven."
"Everyone interested in planting a new church must read this book."
"If a book is amazing I read it three times and the third time as a bible."
"After launching my first church, Highlands Fellowship in 1994, leading for 18 years launching multiple campuses, next leading the global launches of four campuses for Saddleback Church and now preparing to launch a church in Los Angeles; leading a church once again, this book is a must read, for new planters or seasoned planters."
"still reading but good information."
"My favorite thing about the book is that it really helps bring information that needs to be focused when trying to start a church. I understand where the authors are coming from, and I believe that they probably were doing more than what the book went into, but the book is what I had to read. My least favorite thing about the book was the lists that were meant to be funny, but made me wonder why I spent the money. The problem is that most unchurched people I have talked to would rather be a part of a church that cares for them than one that stages events to get minimal information from them and use it to propagate their churches."
"Another thing the book never address someone who is not connected to a denomination or is actually starting a church from scratch without church connections of a denomination. Having started a number of churches over the past 40 years...some in relationship with a denomination and some completely independent with no connection...I found nothing, no information of help about the process of filing for a non profit church status."
Best Egyptian Book of the Dead
For the first time in 3,300 years, The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day: The Papyrus of Ani is showcased in its entirety in seventy-four magnificent color pages. Dr. Ogden Goelet, Jr. is a Clinical Professor of Egyptian Language and Culture in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you or your kids learn how to read and write hieroglyphs this book is a MUST HAVE."
"Dr. Goelet has divided the bibliographical materials into separate categories that include: general studies of Egyptian Afterlife literature; Book of the Dead studies and bibliographies; production techniques of Book of the Dead manuscripts; comprehensive commentaries and translations; suggestions for a program of self-study for the interested amateur; and a selection of online resources. Each section is preceded by a brief introduction that explains its parameters. Here is a list of changes made to the Plates of the Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Nancy Wasserman restored two small wadjet-eyes on the Djed pillar between Isis and Nepthys on Plate 1b; She added Thoth's reed pen on Plates 3b and 31b. The tree goddess on Plate 16a has been made more visible. Another tiny wadjet-eye has been returned to the prow of the solar bark on Plate 18a. Ani and Tutu's headbands were enhanced on Plate 19a; and the third color of the multicolored mound below the swallow was highlighted on Plate 25a."
"Beautiful book the size is Amazing very large."
"Great book for researching ancient Egypt."
"It was a present for my Daughter in law for Christmas and she loved it."
"Great book!"
"Excellent!"
Best Freemasonry
More than one hundred line drawings and a sixteen-page color insert reproduce some of the finest illustrations of the original book, while reset and reformatted text makes this edition of The Secret Teachings of All Ages newly accessible to readers everywhere. Readers who are unfamiliar with Hall's work will be at a loss in ferreting out which chapters have stood the test of time and which have been vigorously debunked (like the one on Islam, which actually uses novelist Washington Irving as a primary source on the prophet Muhammad).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's the only edition in print that is a true reprint of the original typography and illustrations in their correct places. The Reduced Facsimile is also the only edition that was authorized by Hall when he was still alive, and the only edition that contains ALL the original illustrations."
"This is just such am unprecedented collection and in some ways... Introduction to these ideas."
"Typos everywhere in this document, but readable nonetheless."
"Vey informative and easy to digest so much information."
"Great read, take your time."
"Print is way too small in this addition and the pictures are all but gone."
Best Mysticism
The history of the Fallen Angels is sewn tightly together using such books as Enoch, Jasher, Jubilees, The Book of Giants, The War Scrolls, and many others. - - - This volume, containing The First Book of Enoch (The Ethiopic Book of Enoch), The Second Book of Enoch (The Slavonic Secrets of Enoch), The Third Book of Enoch (The Hebrew Book of Enoch), and The Book of Fallen Angels, The Watchers, and the Origins of Evil. Look for other books by Joseph Lumpkin such as the Book of Jasher, The Book of Jubilees, Lost Books of the Bible, Banned from the Bible, and the Encyclopedia of Lost and Rejected Scriptures. Dr. Lumpkin has appeared on Radio, Television, and Internet shows as a guest speaker on subjects of Fallen Angels, Church History, Religion, Theology, The Sacred Feminine, and the Axial Age.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My mother use to tell me to read the Book of Enoch all the time but I never listened to her. She was well read, overly intelligent to the point where no one really could talk to her about the BIble or the history except Cardinals which really didn't talk about the Book of Enoch but knew of it."
"The book of Enoch will not take you away from the bible but actually confirms it I dont know why they ever took it out of the bible it explains alot of questions people might have on Giants and the nephilim angels and stuff."
"hard to understand but informative."
"I received my purchased sooner than I thought."
"havent read it all do believe in 3 books of Enoch I have so many books to read now I have to wait on this one."
"Very good."
"Purchased as a gift and the receiver loves the gift so I'm happy."
Best Scientology
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •. An eye-opening, no-holds-barred memoir about life in the Church of Scientology, now with a new afterword by the author—the outspoken actress and star of the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an actress and advancing Scientology’s causes grew increasingly intertwined. Troublemaker is the most raw and revealing Scientology memoir to date.” — Entertainment Weekly “Leah’s story is a juicy, inside-Hollywood read, but it’s more than that. Leah Remini is an actor, producer, and writer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's 7:20 AM as I write this, and I haven't slept since I started reading this book, moments after downloading it. When I heard advance word of the release, having read just about every book there is on the subject of Scientology (from Inside Scientology, to Bare Faced Messiah, to Beyond Belief to The Unbreakable Miss Lovely), from personal accounts to journalistic exposes, I eagerly anticipated Troublemaker. I can't wait to read the remaining 20%, and regardless of my ignorance of her acting career, with this book she's become one of my favorite people. And if you're looking for a real window into the bizarre, rarefied world of celebrity scientologists (Leah attending Tom Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes, for example, and the subsequent fallout after she is brazenly manipulated to get J Lo and Marc Anthony to attend as well, is jaw dropping) you need look no further."
"I was not disappointed, but in the process of learning a bit more about scientology, there were some really interesting insights into her childhood, as well as her experiences getting into show businesses. This is a very quick read and it starts off right away by jumping into the issue of Scientology, so, if that is the reason why you are picking up the book, I recommend it for that aspect. It is also interesting to see how the fall-out and consequences for breaking with the church comes to light, in particular, Leah outlines her own humanity, pointing out areas in her life where she has messed up at the very start of the book, essentially expected to get sued by Scientology."
"I'm not a "fangirl" of Leah Remini though I've always thought she was funny, beautiful, and brash (in a good way). Leah really holds nothing back in this book, she writes like she talks, funny and brash but not an obnoxious way. Ms. Halbreich came from a very wealthy family, married into wealth, got divorced, and got a job on the sales floor at Bergdorfs."
Best Theism Religion
Part of a five-volume project on the theological questions surrounding the origins of Christianity, this book offers a reappraisal of literary, historical and theological readings of the New Testament, arguing for a form of "critical realism" that facilitates different readings of the text. In this volume Wright trains a penetrating historical and theological spotlight on first-century Palestinian Judaism.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This was a game changer for me not because it convinced me that the New Testament is reliable, but because it showed me how it is to be read if I am to be able to show why it is reliable."
"I thought that there were times, especially during this epistemological and philosophical introduction, that Wright had specific scholars in mind and he seemed to go off on rants occasionally (or killing the proverbial fly with a sledgehammer!"
"Wright does an excellent job unpacking the ancient world into which Jesus and his followers entered in the first century."
"(His 2 volume book on Paul is supposed to be wonderful) I like this one in particular because he lays the groundwork for the other books."
"This is arguably *the* major paradigm-shattering book on the New Testament since perhaps Bultmann's Theology of the New Testament. He addresses the existing divide between the modern positivist reading and the postmodern phenomenalist reading of the texts."
"Wright is brilliant and understandable."
"Very good!"
"The way Wright explains the 1st century BC/AD Jewish worldview and beyond that into the 1st century Christian worldview is, for lack of a better term, exciting."
Best Tribal & Ethnic Religious Practices
In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. She is the co-author, with don Miguel Ruiz, of six books in The Toltec Wisdom Series , creator of “The Four Agreements for a Better Life” online course, and editor of Deepak Chopra’s bestselling title, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I am an undergrad student of philosophy and linguistics, a branch of the humanities. I also deeply love this series of books because of its obviousness and simplicity. There is a huge tradition of skepticism in linguistics, especially about how language is used in various cultures to create belief systems. A belief system is basically a set of instructions inside your brain based on language. These instructions help you navigate the stressful world around you so you can survive. We are psychologically wired to think our belief systems are accurate and experience deep stress if we find them to be inaccurate. You may not be surprised to find out that philosophy majors have not come up with answers to these questions because there is always a case where we are going to be wrong or have a counter argument. Much of the study of philosophy is the collection of vocabulary words to describe beliefs. They even have a mathematical component called propositional logic, where one takes sentences and reduces them to symbols and creates "proofs" but even prop-logic is under fire from academics for its complete inability to predict anything. I believe Miguel Ruiz must have taken a linguistics course as well--as his first agreement attests to the power of language. Both Saussure and Derrida (and many, many others) did work on how we form ideas in our heads based on language. The gist is this: we have something called a "symbol" in our brain which is composed of two parts: the word and the visual representation of the object (look up semiotics for further detail). These symbols are in our mind and work together to form meaning, then belief. If you really want a deeper understanding on how linguistics has saturated our belief systems I recommend reading some of their academic essays or get Rivkin and Ryan's literary theory books. To simplify: scientists and academics in the millions have tried and tried and tried to find "the true belief" for thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years and we have not yet arrived at any truth. The need to be right is so ingrained within us that we create a huge drama when someone contradicts our beliefs. - I take all gurus, religions, indictments and gossip with quite a high level of benevolent skepticism, which allows me to be free from the fear that goes along with these stories."
"Both are based on the philosophy of the Toltec, ancient people of southern Mexico who were known as women and men of knowledge. The author at times anticipates such problems on the part of the reader, and is indeed accurate in that regard. The Toltecs were not a race or tribe, or nation, but scientists and artists formed to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the “ancient ones”. The Toltec recognize that some 3000 years ago a human studying to be a medicine man woke to the realization that everything is made of light and that all that exists is one living being, and that light is the messenger of life because it is alive and contains all information. As children we believe what adults say, especially our parents, and our world becomes a dream, a reality built on symbols from others, not the silent feelings and observations that we experienced as infants. We live in a dream ruled by fear and filled with emotions of anger, jealousy, envy and hate. To escape our dream of hell, we must break the old agreements that are fear based and reclaim our personal power. The author suggests four basic agreements that you must make with yourself to reclaim your own power and find a heaven on earth, a life of joy and fulfillment. He feels that a sin is anything that goes against yourself, and being impeccable is not gong against yourself, taking responsibility for your actions, but not judging or blaming. He feels that gossip is the worst form of black magic, for it is judgmental language about others, even those we do not know. He gives the simple example of a child being told by her mother to shut up her singing because her voice was “ugly”. These are the type of agreements that we make in life that are harmful and destructive, that lead us into our dream of hell. And as you use such words, first by expressing love for yourself, you break all the many agreements that make you suffer, and begin to build your own dream of heaven on earth. Couldn’t someone’s anger be about us if our word was less than impeccable, but instead filled with the black magic mentioned by the author? I raise these questions in my mind because at times, as I read through this, it sounds as if one can “get a pass” for less than sterling behavior because he need not take others reactions personally. (True sadness from the passing of a child or similar “objective” tragedy is hard to relate to assumptions or taking things personally) I have found that people often assume my meaning, and sometimes take offense at something that was never intended to harm. I don’t know exactly why we are afraid to ask for clarification, maybe it roots back to those days when we were reluctant to ask questions in school. I think these two agreements about taking things personally and making assumptions are really part of a self centeredness that “it is all about me”. In fact it is really important to realize that it isn’t always about you, especially when the assumptions made generally do assume so and lead to taking things personally. Not making assumptions would seem to be one of the easier agreements to live up to, as it only involves a little bit of inquiry. I see his book as being primarily focused on reaching an internal contentment and happiness, not on navigating one’s way through the world at large. I just find a bit of a contrast between the focus of this work and something like “Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr where he acknowledges the need to survive in the competitive world as a means of gaining some level of confidence before, in the second half of life, we are able to discard much of the baggage of the first half and seek out a more personal and spiritual contentment. All see Western culture as imposing and espousing a very competitive, win/loose guilt ridden mentality. Such mentality may or may not be necessary for the struggles that we face, but, all my readings seem to agree that at some point our thoughts need to focus on attaining a more peaceful and inclusive level of spiritual contentment. By merely listening you show respect for the other person’s dream, for the reality he or she has created. The first Four Agreements taught us that out symbols are not the truth, and that many of these symbols–our entire symbology as he calls it- are lies that lead us to blame and shame and guilt, to a living hell. It is a war against that part of our mind that makes all the choices that guide us into our personal hell. It is that point where we come back to our real state, our divine self, where we fell a communion of love with everything in existence. We experience what he refers to as a resurrection, and it allows us to be wild and free like a child, except that we have freedom with wisdom instead of innocence. These books express a philosophy couched in rather mystical terms–in dreams and symbols, attention and awareness. I think he feels that a concept like goodness is also a truth that is intrinsically recognized and internal, and not a product of a value system that is imposed on us by others. But, at least to me, he doesn’t recognize such conditioning as being a necessary part of that portion of our lives when we must learn to cope in our world. The striking thing, as I read numerous books and other writings, and watch speeches, is the basic consistency in the message of oneness and the need to abandon, at least temporarily, much of what we have “learned” in order to open our minds, or perhaps clear our minds, so that we can receive the gift of interconnectedness."
"The Four Agreements are: - Be Impeccable With Your Words. - Don't Take Anything Personally. - Don't Make Assumptions. - Always Do Your Best. -When he says be Impeccable With Your Word, he means you should always speak,with integrity. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering. - when he says Don't Make Assumptions, he means you must find the the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want."
Best Unitarian Universalism
HERE IF YOU NEED ME is the story Kate Braestrup's remarkable journey from grief to faith to happiness - as she holds her family together in the wake of her husband's death, pursues his dream of becoming a minister, and ultimately finds her calling as a chaplain to search-and-rescue workers. After her shock subsided, Braestrup decided to follow in his footsteps and became a chaplain for the Maine Warden Service, which sets up search-and-rescue missions throughout the state. Her own remarkable story encompasses those of the men and women who work alongside her, incorporating many touching anecdotes, none more moving than that of the state police detective, a breast-feeding mother whose last name is Love, who arrests a sexual predator for a young woman's murder.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not only does she raise her family after the loss of their father, but she provides comfort not only to the relatives of loved ones lost in the Maine wilderness, but comfort to her fellow Wardens as they toil about in their daily (and nightly) tasks: catching poachers, search and rescue, and (sadly) search and recovery. In the process of helping others, she helps herself."
"Wow. That one word should be enough, but you want to know why it's a wow don't you?"
"She becomes a Unitarian minister and begins working with the Maine Game Warden department, mainly ministering to the families of those involved in search and rescue attempts - the hikers, the lost snowmobilers, the swimmers falling over a waterfall, the despondent young women, the lost children. It is a book full of the essays of a talented writer giving her take on life, death, and heaven, all in a gentle way where it is easy to imagine the skill in which she is able to minister to those in need. There is the story of a young suicide victim whose brother she counsels and consoles as he is worried she will be unable to have a Christian burial because of the way she died, there is the story of the parents Kate spends the night consoling with after their daughter goes missing, answering the atheist mother who says, "It's so cool that the warden service has a chaplain to keep us from freaking out," by responding,"I'm not really here to keep you from freaking out. The reader will be moved to tears, laugh out loud, begin a spiritual awakening - and keep the book nearby for re-reading of Kate's essays again and again."