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Summary: A Jungian look at Sacred Contracts
Review: There is no adventure more meaningful than discovering and expressing all of who you are. Many maps and guides exist for those willing to take the journey, but one of the most fascinating and rewarding maps for exploring is that of archetypes. Caroline Myss has found a crucial medium for understanding, integrating and expressing all of who you are by identifying your 12 archetypal energy patterns. An archetype is an energetic pattern that influences how you create meaning in your life. By understanding your patterns, some well-integrated, some suppressed, you can learn to integrate and appreciate all aspects of who you are. Sharon Stasney, author of Feng Shui Chic and House Archetypes (coming soon)
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Summary: Pseudo-Sacred Psychobabble
Review: I'm very shocked by all of the great reviews this book received. I purchased the CD set with great anticipation, but was completely let down. The idea of "sacred contracts" is not new. It exists in many spiritual paths. And the energies of archetypes are also not new. They also exist in a myriad of spiritual paths, not to mention the incredible writings of Jung and Campbell. However, I expected Carolyn Myss to provide a new perspective on these mysteries based on her years on training as gifted intuitive. In fact, what she does is botch the whole thing. She confuses archetypes with stereotypes, the soul with the personality, and sacred contracts with predestination. She has no real concept of the role of free will, choice, and compassion in molding our life based on present-day decisions (not ones from between lives or past lives). She stubbornly presents her insights as dogma rather than seasoned with true appreciation for the mystery of life. And in the end, all of her material descends into a confusing mish-mash of spiritual babble that, in my opinion, seems mostly unuseful.
Rating: 
Summary: A Blessing!
Review: I really enjoyed Sacred Contracts. It helps one focus on channeling your energy in the right direction. I rate Sacred Contracts in the same category as Creating Extraordinary Joy by Chris Alexander. When you use these two books together you will get in touch with your authenticity. Like Ms Myss, Mr Alexander understands truth.
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Summary: Almost a book
Review: In this book caroline is able to label every kind of thought and action known to man. To prove that she is intelligent. 416 pages of labels. A total waste of paper.
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Summary: CD is incomplete!!!
Review: If you are thinking about getting Sacred Contracts, make sure that you buy it in the book form. I just got half way through the CD, 3 hours into it, when out of Caroline's mouth pop the words: "I am now going to push you to buy the book because you need the book in order to read the list of archetypes to decide which ones fit you". Had I known that the CD didn't have everything I needed then I would have just purchased the book.....now I will have the CD AND the book. What a hassle, not to mention that I was just getting ready to chart my archetypes and now I have to put out more money and wait for days while the book is enroute. There was nothing eluding to the fact that I would need extra material other than the CD or else I would have ordered differently. By the way, so far I really like the "book", but I gave it a rating of only 3 because of the way the CD is sold. Buyer beware!
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Summary: divine path revealed
Review: I have been on an unending search for my purpose in life
for 6 yrs now. I actually had all the archetypes pretty well
named. They had made themselves known to me, and I have been
working with them for the last few years, especially at Jean
Houston's Mystery School. The problem was not the archetypes
but where they fit in my life and why were they here?
The "archetypal wheel" that Carolyn has us do once we
identified our archetypes was extremely powerful and
divinely accurate. A few I already knew what houses they would
show up under, and they did! My visionary archetype showed up
in the 12th house for unconscious and my child archetype
showed up under the marriage and relationship house.
For anyone that thought they have read all the divine purpose
books they could, this is it! A lot of work and reflection,
but the answers are worth it. Thank you Carolyn.
Rating:
Summary: Finding Your True Purpose
Review: "I believe that long before our first jobs, we were 'hired' for something greater, more global--and, indeed, more cosmic--than 9 to 5. We were employed by Life to live with love, creativity, joy, and compassion, and to be of service to others. In this sense we are always 'employed,' even if we're between jobs. To me, that's our true purpose in life and a sentiment that's emphasized in Sacred Contracts. "Caroline Myss calls to our attention that everything is happening as it should for our spiritual growth. And she shares an exciting way for us to unlock the divine wisdom within ourselves by looking at the archetypes--patterns of behavior--that make up our personalities. She invites us to explore archetypes that we might be manifesting in our own lives, such as Child, Victim, Saboteur, Prostitute, Diva, Bully, Wizard, Goddess, King, Queen, Detective, etc. "The 'Prostitute Archetype' is particularly thought-provoking, and will have a lot of us questioning whether we're 'selling out' in some way, either personally or professionally. I'm sure that many of us have worked in 'get-by' jobs at one time or another until we learned from them and then could move on. The key is to learn from these experiences or we might forever find ourselves in 'get-by' jobs or 'get-by' relationships. One way that I learn from my experiences is to look at the symbols and metaphors--the archetypes--of what's going on in my life. I once did office work, for example, in a detoxification center for alcoholics when I wasn't addicted to anything. Or so I thought. Could an 'Addict Archetype' be at work in my life? I finally realized that I was addicted, not physically, but psychologically, to a belief in limitation. I believed that there weren't any teaching jobs available and that writers starved. And that's what I'd been manifesting in my life, an addiction to scarcity. It was only when I got in touch with my spirit and opened myself to greater possibilities that I found more lucrative work as a professional speaker and a writer--work for which I was truly suited. And I finally put to rest the Addict Archetype and the myth of scarcity. "So Myss is on to something, and I agree with her. The world truly conspires to make us whole. It's a comforting perspective, and one that opens us to greater possibilities, to the truth of who we are, and to our life's purpose. Sacred Moments is an inspiring book that gives us a way to understand our evolution as spiritual beings and to fulfill our divine potential." Kathleen Hawkins, Spiritual Strategist(TM) and author of Spirit Incorporated: How to Follow Your Spiritual Path from 9 to 5.
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Summary: Spiritual while also being intellectually stimulating
Review: One of the things I've always loved about Caroline Myss's books--and her talks, too--is that she inspires both the mind and the soul. This book is a tremendous accomplishment--a whole system, that includes archetypes, astrology and the chakras--for finding one's underlying purpose--which she created! I was totally enthralled reading about how even such greats as Jesus and Buddha had to undergo this search; Caroline has such a way of describing familiar stories such as these in a totally new context. And I'm dreaming like never before! These dreams are taking me deeper, I feel, toward some realization. Thank you Caroline!
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Summary: She has another winner
Review: Owning her books is such a joy and Sacred Contracts : Awakening Your Divine Potential couldn't have come at a more opportune time, what with Sept 11th and the many job layoffs and simple uncertainties of everyday life. What she is doing is challenging the reader to not give up or settle for less than what they want. To look deeper and see that we all have a purpose and that it isn't about being the next Bill Gates but is about being "you" and realizing that if you look carefully and embrace the archetype that you are that you will see that you have a "fit". An awakening of sorts or that epiphany where one day or over days you realize that yes it is all making sense and no I wasn't meant to be a cookie cutter person like the people around me.And I also believe that her Why People Don't Heal book and believe it along with this new book make a great library for personal change. She addresses the Child, Victim, Teacher, Prostitute, Rebel, Saboteur Vampire, Sage and dozens others. And along with the book Women Who Run With The Wolves this is a must read for psychologists, sociologists or healers and those who simply want to learn that everyone has a path and a right to travel it.
Rating:
Summary: Two Hits and a Miss (Myss)
Review: Come on Caroline....How many of us do you think are out here who can understand and use this complicated synthesis of the twelve houses of the astrological chart, the seven chakras, and the twelve archetypes in a kind of psycho-roulette? I got half way through this complex maze and gave up because my sacred contract became more elusive than ever. There's too many stories about too many people who attempt to illustrate all these deep spiritual principles but it just keeps circling back on itself and never gets to the promise the book makes in the beginning. I loved Carolyn's first two books and went to a wonderful workshop she gave so I bought this hardback enthusiastically and read with journal and pen in hand but even with a Masters Degree I got hopelessly tangled in a confused mass of ideas, terms and concepts that may not have been meant to go together anyway. Save your money for a workshop if you really must understand this stuff. I don't think this book will do it.
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