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Living in the Light: A Guide to Personal and Planetary Transformation

Living in the Light: A Guide to Personal and Planetary Transformation

List Price: $12.95
Your Price: $9.71
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's OK...for what it was
Review: As a classic, this book effectively introduces the beginner to New Age Thought. The mirror principle, issues regarding one's "shadow", cultivating one's inner female/male, and the benefits of trusting your intuition are presented here in clear and readable detail. But I have two real problems with this book.

One: while reading, you sense the book's datedness. While all of Living/Light's ideas were revolutionary in the mid-80s, they were presented as a sentimental mishmash of popular New Age platitudes. To make the presentation worse, with no "human" examples to support these platitudes, Ms. Gawain is reduced to sermonizing them. Since the first edition of Living/Light, some of these concepts have been humanized and vitalized in other more recent New Age texts. (AND AS A SIDENOTE: The mismash problem may also be perceived in most of Carolyn Myss's books, which I find are generally superficial New Age/Christian surveys cobbled together to support a catchy but unproven hypothesis.)

Two: the author only speaks from HER perspective (i.e., white western female in the U.S.), but the universality of this book would force her to generalize for everybody, thereby producing guesswork not truth on how the human psyche works. For example, when she postulates that one's inner male is to surrender to his or her inner female (who's ALWAYS right!) to achieve spiritual wholeness, I get the impression that she's taking the position of a feminist, presenting men in a limiting old-world perspective. Also, when she tries to explain the inner motivations of gay people, and in particular, with male-male relationships, I find myself openly disagreeing with her arguments.

Still, what she offers BASED ON HER EXPERIENCES is valid enough for me to keep this book in my library. I'm glad she wrote the book at a time when New Age books were relegated to the specialty bookstore! I would hope however that in the THIRD edition, she'd hire a male, gay co-author to clean up the murkier portions currently in the second edition. My two cents.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Life changing wisdom!
Review: I consider my self a serious student of life, always out of deep curiosity and many times out of a need to survive. I started thirty years ago talking to the best therepists and my wisest friends to find my way to good health and happiness. The process included writing down dreams as well as making time to think and talk about the messages my unconsious was sending me. Getting regular exersize, eating right, and maintaining friendships were the rest of the formula.

Along the way I have read a number of books to guide me. "Living in the light" is, by far, the best book I've found on the subject. It is filled with insight and wisdom and is written in a clear, simple style that makes it easy to read in a couple of evenings. The author's instructions on how to tap your intuitive skills and the energy of the universe are powerful and breathtaking. Short chapters on the male and female aspects in all of us could help save a marriage. A must read for all students of life.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Life changing wisdom!
Review: I felt like I was "stuck" in my spiritual progress, maybe even fallen off the path altogether. Ms. Gawain not only described exactly what I was feeling, she gave me the encouragement I needed to work through this problem. I feel that she is a very wise woman, and I am indebted to her for sharing that wisdom in this book

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Motivational/Inspirational/WONDERFUL book!!!
Review: I have read Shakti's "Creative Visualization" and "Living in the Light". Both were fantastic works of art that reinforced my life long thoughts that we all create our own future. Her books have helped inspire me to write my own book on self development and begin seminars to help assist others to create the beautiful heaven on earth we can all have if we only dare to follow our intuition and dreams!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good ideas, but a wee bit strange
Review: I have to agree with Yikes that this book isn't a good source of spiritual information. What you get is a lot of circular thinking, a mismash of new agey, "You create your own reality", fluff that is a sad copy of that spirituality should be. According to Shakti, the reason some folks don't have enough money is either because they are used to being poor or have a creative block somewhere in their lives that needs uncovering. Want more money? Just increase your budget and it will find you. Anyone who doesn't think it is a good idea to use your rent money to buy that parrot will be dissappointed with this book.

Want to learn real spiritual principles? Study Tibetan and Shambala Buddhism (which is like astrophysics compared to this fluff) and read "A Gift from Daniel" by Karen Alexander. Want to understand the mind and learn about illusions? Read a book on cognitive behavioural therapy psychology, I recommend "Feeling Good" by David Burns.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful Reading
Review: I really enjoyed this book. This was the first of this kind of book I had read and I learned alot from reading this book. It is also the kind of book that you can keep and refer to in the future.
When reading this book, it is not one to rush through or to read while your mind is on other things. Take time when reading to think, maybe look back over part of it. This book can be a big help.
This is not a book to read and never pick it up again. I am now looking forward to reading other books of this kind. And also referring back to this one.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful Reading
Review: I really enjoyed this book. This was the first of this kind of book I had read and I learned alot from reading this book. It is also the kind of book that you can keep and refer to in the future. This is not a book to read and never pick it up again. I am now looking forward to reading other books of this kind.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This book could change your life.
Review: Shakti Gawain is an inspiration and a spiritual dynamo. An uplifting, though-provoking book... once I read it I wanted to buy a copy for every spiritual person I knew.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a book about transformation
Review: this book is a real treasure if you are looking for answers and changes in your life! It will certainly lead you into the path of transformation and personal growth. I highly recommend this book to every one who is interested in knowing more about the power of the universe. A masterpiece in its simplicity but great power!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Change Your Life
Review: This is the best book on spiritual / self-help principles I have ever read. Clear and deceptively simple, it can help you change your life for the better in profound and lasting ways.


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