Before Dan entered The University of California at Berkley, his life had been one of achievement. He was a gifted athlete and later went on to win the World Trampoline Championship in London. In spite of all the success, Millman was always haunted by the feeling that something was missing from his life. He was plagued by nightmares.

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Socrates put it in slightly different terms: “It looks as if I’m going to have to transform a jackass into a human being”.

The following spiritual odyssey is 3D with special effects. There are fantasy flights, epic battles and always the wisdom and mischief of Socrates. Even after his final disappearance, Soc manages to manifest himself at Dan and Joy’s wedding. Dan had always kept with him, Socrates card: “ Specializing in Paradox, Humor and Change… Emergencies Only!” but this time, the card had changed. In place of “Emergencies Only”,was a single word, glowing brighter than the rest. it said HAPPINESS. His wedding gift!

The final message for Peaceful Warrior is that: “What matters is compassion, taking ourselves less seriously, and waking up to the gift of life in each passing moment”

Michael has come a long way from the 60’s Vietnam War protester and marijuana dealer. It makes for some compelling reading.

The main message seems to be that transformation to “Fulfill Your Soul’s Potential” occurs when the Egoic Self is superseded by conscious realization of Authentic Self. His warning: “Remember a bad day for the ego, is a good day for the soul.

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In his travels to many of the most exotic locales in the world, teaching and speaking, Michael claims to have witnessed a global shift of consciousness. He even served on panels with The Dalai Lama in India and Italy. He actually witnessed a native, Baba, shapeshifting in Ghana, Africa and talked to a tree in English.

Beckwith does comment ironically on the populace that isn’t so spiritually evolved. Some pet owners are so neurotic that they have bought 200.000 fake testicles so that their neutered dogs will look normal to other dogs.

In writing about creative consciousness, Michael tells of his early fascination with Johann Sebastian Bach (surprised that it wasn’t Jim Hendrix). Now he has a music collaboration with his wife Rickie. One of the latest came to him when his deceased spiritual brother, Carl Anderson, sang him a song in a dream. It’s fascinating to read how Beckwith and Rickie acted quickly to capture and save the song for posterity.

For the most part, Spiritual Liberation is a joyous reminder of the true fruits of Spiritual labor, but he warns that even the most committed can experience low points… dark nights of the soul. For those in the depths, Michael has these comforting words: “This shall not move me……I am divinely supported, and all things work together for my good”

It’s called “The Oneness Blessing” or “deeksha” in India, and leads to an altered state of consciousness. By a touch, eye contact or intent, from a qualified person, we’re liberated from our ego-limited condition. There are claims that this enlightenment is actually grounded in physical processes in the brain.

Ardagh began this journey after the release of his book The Translucent Revolution in 2006, He and his wife were invited to the Oneness University in India. As a veteran of all kinds of meditation, Ardagh was impressed with the power of the “Oneness Blessing”. “It was fast, clean, and accurate” There are lyrical descriptions of their days at Oneness U, and the dasas who guided and looked after them. The dasas were energetic, selfless young Indian men and women (dressed in white) who with the University’s founders Sri Bhagavan and his wife, Sri Amma, had a vision and a plan for actually changing global consciousness. Ardagh’s first reaction was one of both enthusiasm and skepticism. Was this a cult? Was this another workshop high?

In his interviews with both founders, they were very candid about their vision. Why had they been brought to this place at this time? Bhagavan calmly stated that “business as usual” was no longer optional. “Unless we make changes, it is unlikely that all 6 Billion of us will survive the next decade”. There are all the predictions of 2012.

Ardagh concludes that his book is neither an evangelical text of conversion nor an expose, but he does address the five major criticisms aimed at the Oneness movement. When you read about a temple in southern India costing $17 million, built to house 8,000 “cosmic beings” who are going to save the world…..it’s bound to arouse criticism.

What IS a “cosmic being”? To find out, get the book. It’s a fascinating read about western reaction to Indian mysticism.

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The Courage to Be Free is a small gem of a book – one to be treasured. In it, author Guy Finley doesn’t offer any startling new spiritual insights, but instead lovingly leads us to remember and rediscover our original spiritual birthrights.

The message is that we are born with all the spiritual assets needed to combat the thoughts of fear, worry, and doubt that block our freedom. Finley makes the life lessons very reader-friendly by his colorful use of proverbs, metaphors, and especially his parables.

The story of Solomon, the wise old owl and how he handled the five golden eagles, walking in marching drill, on parade, wearing crash helmets, eye goggles and raincoats is worth the price of the book. The eagles had been tricked and had forgotten that they knew how to fly. How many of us haul around so much “stuff” that isn’t original equipment that we can’t take flight?

In his Key Lessons, Finley goes on to explain that “psychological fear”, “painful resentment “ and “anxiety” (rushing around)” are, none of them, part of our original equipment. He even uses William Shakespeare to back up his reasoning, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”.

Just as the monkeys in South America get trapped because they won’t let go of the fruit in the box, so, too, do we get trapped by anxious thoughts and feelings. We should accept and rejoice in our Self, in the present moment.

This book is step-by-step, practical spirituality. Finley advises that we learn to act on what we know is true about negative states. He then gives examples of what actions to take. i.e. Deliberately slow down your life. Refuse to ever again add to the pain of another . Find the strength to be a real “friend in need”.

The Courage to Be Free ends with this inspirational challenge. “You are not only created to change, you are free to do so anytime you choose”.

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By Willa McLean

In “The Essential Laws of Fearless Living”, author, Guy Finley, synthesizes his thirty years of writing, studying, and sharing his message of hope and freedom from fear. He has written 35 best-selling books and audio programs. This book includes specially selected nuggets of truth from previous works and audio albums, as well as special essays never before published.

Each of the forty-one chapters is designed in a step-by-step presentation starting with a Key Lesson and ending with a short, but powerful, summary intended to help you actualize the new principles portrayed.

Finley very evocatively uses parables to portray the ways in which we can be actually possessed by fear and negative thoughts. There is Rebecca, the student-pilot, who literally froze at the controls when confronted by a mountain, until her instructor quietly reminded her to change her altitude- after which she soared safely over the peaks.

Then there is the story of the office-worker whose boss gave him an absent-minded blank look. Within minutes, the man had worked himself into such a state, thinking the boss had it in for him, that he went home and snapped at his family. The lesson here is that we shouldn’t buy into mistaken perceptions but to choose “awareness” of our thoughts.

The next main topic is “success”. Finley makes the point that many wildly-successful executives live with a daily fear of failure. He examines the difference between the kind of success “whose fruit is a fearful life, and that fearless Life that is success itself”.

Finley uses the vivid image of the “Light of higher self-knowledge” to guide us through the book. One of his flat conclusions is that: “There are no dead ends in real life”. We have to liberate ourselves from self-limiting thoughts and feelings. The only thing that feelings of discouragement do is keep you busy doing nothing except feeling sorry for yourself-which ensures you get nowhere. He challenges us to bring the “light” to bear on these thoughts, and they will fade from view.

On page 83, there’s a very insightful chart, ten examples of how we may be sabotaging ourselves while wrongly assuming we’re strengthening our positions with others i.e.: “Fawning before people to win their favor. Explaining ourselves to others”. The key lesson is, “The true individual is one who doesn’t need the approval of others in order to know the peace of mind he finds in being just himself”.

We don’t want to go through life alone, but Finley acknowledges the difficulties of relationships. He includes his four ways of sowing the seeds of a higher relationship with life, taken from his book, “Let Go and Live in the Now”. One of the key rules of Relationships is: “Learn never to blame another for the pain you feel”.

The final two chapters deal with “Being At Peace With Yourself- Be Still and be Free”- and back to Finley’s light analogy, “Be One With The Light of Life”. It’s wisdom to soothe the soul and allow healing into a hurting heart.

Guy Finley ends this inspiring book with his own moving summary:

What is Truth?

But the moment revealed

What is Light?

But God concealed.

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By Willa McLean

“Emotional pain binds our hearts and makes us sick. To regain genuine health, we must be free to love.” This is the compelling message that author David Simon M.D. proclaims in his book. Free to Love, Free to Heal”

Before he became a medical doctor, Simon was an anthropology student, exploring humanity’s earliest communities and cultures. In “Free to Love“, he integrated his knowledge of ancient Indian ayurvedic healing traditions to develop a five-step process to heal our bodies, by healing our emotions.

David Simon - Practicing Physician, Innovative Researcher, & Insightful Teacher

In his years of listening to clients carrying emotional baggage, Dr. Simon has identified six core storylines: the absent parent, the impaired parent, the sick parent, the distracted parent, the controlling parent and the abusive parent. He shares evocative cases of each type and provides compassionate healing advice on how to release the emotional residue.

There is a wonderful chapter on yoga and meditation with beautiful illustrations and exercises on engaging the body and breath in preparation for identifying your toxic beliefs.

“What is wrong with me?” Evocative Questioning involves asking the right questions and listening to your heart for the answers.

As Dr. Simon guides us through his five-step healing process, he provides the right questions, and encourages written responses. “It is as if by getting the words onto paper, the emotionally painful experience loses its grip on your heart.”

After you have identified your toxic beliefs, and dug deep into your past to discover the roots, “Free to Love” suggests some very dramatic, concrete scenarios to physically cast out your demons, and go onto a state of unbounded awareness. “Buddhists call it nirvana, and Hindus refer to it as moksha. In Christianity, it is known as grace.”

David Simon writes with such eloquent compassion of clients who have come to him with obesity, or anorexia, depression, digestive problems or chronic pain. To him, they are all manifestations of lack of love.

Simon also very effectively shares some of his own personal experiences. He once consulted a neonatologist about his toddler daughter who insisted on crawling into their bed at night. He quotes the specialist’s observation. “It’s funny that most single adults I know, spend their waking time trying to find someone to sleep with, yet we expect babies to sleep by themselves,”

Other quotes: “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission”- Eleanor Roosevelt, and “We do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better, we do better”- Maya Angelou.

After reading “Free to Love, Free to Heal“, we’ll all know better “As human beings, we have the gift of free will. It is our decision whether or not to unwrap the present.”