Celestine Prophecy, The: Abridged

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Summary: A very good step by step program to increase your awareness
Review: Ignore all the frustrated writers that give this book such bad reviews. If you are seeking to raise your awareness levels, and do not want to read the dozens of other books out there that attempt to do this and fail,READ THIS BOOK! I have read the dozens of others, and this one organized the ways to do this in an easy and structual way. Don't be mislead by the jealous others that have panned this book. It has sold like it has, because it is an easy to read learning process. True, it is not Faulkner or Hemmingway, but neither or the bad reviewers that took it upon themselves to show their lack of awareness and their closemindness.

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Summary: There's no book like a really really bad book
Review: Based on the rather entertaining reviews of this book, I think I did rather well making it through the first 30 pages (and this without major stomach pains). I did, however, have a whopper of a headache afterward. I suppose that could be attributed to my lack of spiritual depth, as intimated by those favorable reviews of this not-fit-for-even-short-airplane-rides book. In retrospect, I suppose this book will nicely summarize our national (sad but true) state-of-consciousness as we cruise toward the new millenium. As antidote to this book, pick up any good book (even one you have read a few times). It helped me immensely, and worked much better than a headache tablet. Luckily, in Germany we can recycle paper products, and I found that a somewhat satisfying method of disposal.

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Summary: An Incredible novel
Review: The greatest novel I have ever read. An incredible journey reminiscent of the greatest Indiana Jones adventures but it goes beyond that to help us understand why we have been put on this Earth, and it does a damn good job of it too. Those who don't believe in the prophecies explored in this novel can still enjoy it, for it provides a great, action-filled adventure throughout all of Peru. Ignore the bad reviews, those people are obviously hopeless fools who don't believe in anything and are not intelligent enough to connect with the insights.

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Summary: Not Worth The Time!!!
Review: Author is not clear if he is writing about his adventurous trip to Peru or about the insights he received, he does not makeup his mind till the last page of his book. All these insights are known to mankind already through various religious gurus. Pretty simple things like "God is within You", "love your brethern" are known to everyone. Author is trying to tell the old philosophies with a new cover and a lot of hype. 70% of the book hypes about the greatness of the insights, 29% talks about author's problems and 1% talks about the actual insights. This 1% is so hidden the readers have a hard time finding it. Author's reasoning for the unexplained disappearance of the Mayan Civilization is unique but unbeleivable. Not worth the time! If you do want to know about the insights, you might want to pick up the book "Tenth Insights" and read the first chapter.

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Summary: VERY BAD
Review: This has to be one of the most poorly written books I've read. The plot is weak and unbelievable. I tried in earnest to finish the book (mainly because of the people who had raved about it) but could not. I regret wasting my time.

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Summary: prophecy for fools
Review: I started reading this book with a very open mind. I mean, doesn't anyone want to be told what the true meaning of life is; why we are all here? And I must admit, although skeptical of the first insight, I was quite impressed by the second and even started telling people about the book. But it went all the way downhill from there. In trying to reconcile science and religion, Redfield has completely taken away the complexities of the world and stereotyped and categorized anything and everything. Sorry mister - it doesn't work that way. Are you truly trying to make us believe that all of mankind fits into only 4 groups of control drama? And is it so easy to define one based on the groups of your parents? come on - who are we trying to kid? The protagonist might fit easily into one of your molds but the rest of us like to think we have more depth. I'm all for a new world culture but the one offered in the Celestine Prophecy just isn't the way. Stay away from this book please!!

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Summary: Fast-food philosophy, and about as nutritious
Review: This book is aimed squarely at the "I want people to think I'm spiritual and deep but don't want to have to do any real work" crowd. Doubtless picking up this book ands reading it makes many people feel as if they're well on the road to spiritual enlightenment and wisdom, and they pat themselves on the back for being so forward-thinking. I have a news flash for those people: wisdom, depth, and philosophical knowledge are only gained through much mental effor and study. Reading one or two dime-store, pop-philosophy pieces of crap liek this doesn't make you deep. It just makes you a sucker. If you want truth, answers, and wisdom, then you'll have to do a lot more reading, and read actual meaningful works. Some of them are hard. They require a lot of work to get through, because they deal with very intricate subjects. You may not like them all. But it's the *process* that makes you smarter. YOU CAN'T GET ANSWERS ABOUT LIFE FROM ANY *ONE* BOOK. Deal with it and stop being so lazy. Go to your community college and enroll in Philosophy 101. It will be more work (sorry - poor babies!) but you will acquire actual knowledge, not pablum for the sheeplike masses.

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Summary: Hey let's step back and look at this for a moment...
Review: Is this the best written book I've ever read? Nooo... probably one of the worst. BUT I decided to play with it in real-time, like take it literally and see what happens. (What the heck, I already spent the money for the book.) Play along like as if the guy really makes sense. Just trust the process and see where it leads. Get off the main highway and just allow yourself to get lost on the small roads that go to places that you don't get to see just on the other side of that ridge. It's a game. Like chess or Monopoly. (Ever read the instructions for Monopoly? not exactly great literature.) TCP lays out the rules of the game; play as long as you like and then get back on your superhighway anytime... Me? I'm havin' a ball!

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Summary: Think before you praise too profusely
Review: I read the entire book and as a writer, AND as a lover of good writing, was appauled by the shallowness the protagonist was allowed to get away with. I was astounded at how little he contributed relative to the other characters who insisted that he was "special" and a missing link in an important spiritual mission. I didn't believe it in a minute. He didn't do anything but be there(which may the the point, that everyone is part of a special spiritual mission, however the story was too week to support that assertion). Also, as a student of character structure systems ie the enneagram(in it's least parlor game approach) as an example, and there are many more with well thought out theories/applications, I found the one offered in this book a very poor system and perhaps even detrimental to people who seek for a definition of themselves so as to get along in life. It slipped into too easy a trap for "disfuntional" interpretation. I love character structure systems, I think they are a fabulous way to discover aspects of ourselves and be and expand, but this one was hooey. I go out of my way to recommend that people don't waste their time reading it, or if they must, take it with a pillar of salt.

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Summary: A perfect guide to spiritual growth through energy.
Review: This book was AMAZING! This answered so many questions on how to move forward spiritually and understand the connections between events! It is only written poorly to give the author a chance to express the lessons in detail. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with an open mind and who wants to understand better what it is they are all about.

I read some of the negative reviews and they all were written by people who were not interested in spiritual self growth. This book was intended for the person looking for answers. If you don't care what the answers are, don't read it. If you care, then set aside some reading time because you won't be able to put this down.