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Most people face challenging personal issues - in jobs, relationships, finances, and health. Traditional ways of living, working, and relating to one another and the environment often don't seem to work well, yet there are few effective models for change. Shakti Gawain shares the ideas and perspectives that have been the most helpful to her; guides readers in healing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wounds; provides tools for dealing with difficult situations; and proposes that the solutions to personal and planetary crises are within each human being.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
26 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Shakti Gawain
116 books359 followersShakti Gawain is an author and proponent of what she calls "personal development". Her books have sold over 10 million copies, according to her website. Gawain's best known book is "Creative Visualization". She has also written "Living in the Light", "Awakening", "Meditations", "The Path of Transformation", "The Four Levels of Healing", "Creating True Prosperity" and "Developing Intuition". She is the co-founder, with Marc Allen, of New World Library Publishing Company and founder of Nataraj Publishing, a division of New World Library.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 9, 2008
The author distinguishes between the path of transcendence (an exclusively spiritual journey) and the path of transformation (integrating spiritual, emotional, mental and physical work). She offers very helpful and inspiring advice for life in a changing world. Be sure to read through to the last 100 pages.
July 29, 2018
Again, a book that I needed to read at the right time, which is now. So much resonates with what I have learned through my own current path of transformation from the version of my Self before emergency open-heart surgery to my Self now. This book just puts words to everything for me and reviews some of the practices and concepts that I've implemented in my own life. Almost all her other books are now on my to-read list!
"Humanity is in an ongoing process of conscious evolution. At this time, we are taking a giant step in consciousness--a great leap in that evolutionary process. It's probably the most exciting event that has ever taken place on this plane of reality. And I believe that on a soul level we have all chosen to be here at this time in order to take part in it. So we've committed ourselves to being here and doing this, we've put our hearts and souls into it, and now we're looking rather anxiously and breathlessly to see whether or not it's going to work! Somewhere, deep inside us, we know what is possible, and we're wondering if we're gong to be able to manifest that. It's a big question." pg. 7
"It is the nature of the human soul to constantly move forward into greater challenge, expansion, and awareness. The primary job of the human personality, however, is to try to survive in physical form and get our physical and emotional needs met as best we can. There are certain parts of our personalities that want to change and grow, recognizing that growing is necessary and beneficial. Other parts of us prefer to cling to whatever has worked for us in the past. These conservative inner voices argue, 'We've survived so far, haven't we? Why change something that's working okay?' These are the aspects of our psyches that urge us to stay with old patterns that feel safe and comfortable, rather than risking new things that we're not sure will work." pg. 8-9
"The tension between the parts of us that want to grow and change and the parts that want to remain safe in familiar territory is responsible for triggering what is called a 'healing crisis.' A healing crisis occurs at the point where we have outgrown an old pattern or way of being, but are still unconsciously holding onto that old way because it feels safe and familiar. Our response to a healing crisis can vary greatly, both according to who we are and in reaction to other influences that may be affecting us at the time. We may be feeling relatively comfortable and content in a pattern that is no longer vital, unaware that our soul--which always welcomes forward motion--is ready to guide us to a new level. Or we may be feeling stuck and frustrated, wanting to make a change but not quite willing or able to. So we unconsciously create some kind of physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual crisis that shakes us out of the old and propels us into the new." pg. 9
"Both individually and collectively, when we gain new awareness of what's possible, we suddenly look at how we've been doing things, and have a new perspective on our behavior. What seemed perfectly normal up to now may seem very limited, ineffective, or even a bit crazy. It's as if we've found a bit of consciousness to stand on, and this allows us to look back and see our former lack of consciousness. For example, in your personal life, you may begin to recognize a pattern that you have in a relationship as dysfunctional and self-defeating. You may even find yourself continuing to act out this pattern for a while, because a part of you is still holding onto the familiar behavior, even though you recognize its limitations and notice how it doesn't really work for you. You can only be having this awareness because another part of you has already recognized that there are other possible ways of behaving. Eventually, you will find yourself shifting into a new, more satisfying way of doing things." pg. 13-14
"I'm sure that many of your reading this book are already familiar with the concept of creating our own reality--the principle that we each take a very active part in creating the kind of world we experience. This metaphysical principle is based on the awareness that everything in the universe is made of one vital element which we can call 'energy' or 'life force.' This being so, everything in life is interconnected. Our thoughts and feelings are a form of energy, as are our physical bodies and seemingly solid material like stone and metal. Many modern physicists, observing this same phenomenon in science, agree that our thoughts, feelings, physical bodies and the material world around us, are all mutually interrelated and constantly affecting one another." pg. 18
"Blame is based on the negative assumption that something wrong or bad is happening and therefore someone is in error. Taking an attitude of responsibility, on the other hand, requires us to look at every situation as a potentially valuable learning experience. We need to cultivate the ability to appreciate the reality we've already created, and see the problems in it as gifts that can help us grow and evolve." pg. 23
"We are not to blame for the way our lives are unfolding. . . Blaming is a static state, one of standing in place and not moving on, while responsibility--the ability to respond--is dynamic, the very essence of forward movement. By looking at the reality we have manifested in a 'response-able' way, rather than a blaming way, we can learn more. We can become more conscious and aware of our own patterns. Choosing to be responsible instead of blaming ourselves is saying, 'Yes, I am a powerful, creative being, learning about what it's like to be in a physical form, learning how to create. Now that I see and appreciate what I've created, how can I learn from my reality, refine and improve it?'" pg. 23
"We project our inner conflicts, our rebellions, repressions, and fears, to the outside world all the time. I have found it helpful to look at our inner worlds in this way--to identify what kind of inner governments we have, what inner selves we allow to openly express and enjoy themselves, and what inner selves we repress and try to hold down." pg. 29
"We begin to see here, that for our personal or social/political actions to be most effective, we need to start with a deep understanding and commitment to our own consciousness process. This begins by recognizing that we truly do have a strong influence on creating the realities we experience, that we tend to draw to us those people and experiences that reflect our own consciousness in some way. Working from that base, we can learn what it is to take action from our own deepest inner sense of truth. We can discover the power of doing what we genuinely feel moved to do, what our hearts tell us is the right thing to do. Too often we base our actions on external standards or rules of behavior we've blindly adopted. Or we take a particular path of action because it seems like a rational idea or a theoretically good course to pursue." pg. 30
"We have the greatest healing effect on the world when we allow the life force to move through our own bodies. Our power comes not simply by what we say or do. Rather, our words and actions are vehicles for our life energy. What really transforms is the life force moving through us." pg. 32
"Every time we move to a new level of awareness--individually or collectively--we are confronted with new areas of denial, ignorance, pain, and, ultimately, healing. The process moves in cycles, so at times we feel clear and powerful, and at other times we feel lost in confusion. At times we feel stuck, being challenged to move ever more deeply into a specific area of healing. We struggle and resist for a time but when we can finally embrace those aspects of ourselves that we're resisting, we move quickly through them, finally at peace again for a time." pg. 38
"The journey of consciousness is a spiral. We move in cycles, but each cycle takes us to a deeper level. When we find a familiar lesson coming around again, we should never jump to the conclusion that it's coming up because we didn't learn it the first time around. Instead, we need to remind ourselves that we are always moving into deeper levels of awareness that cause us to take a new and different look at what may seem, at first glance, to be the same old issue." pg. 39
"One way to think of it is this: The oneness wanted to explore 'two-ness,' or 'otherness.' It wanted to develop its opposite. Or to phrase it more poetically, the universe wanted to make love to itself, so it created the physical world in order to develop separation and reunion." pg. 42
"Down through history, a majority of human beings have been focusing on what I call the path of the material world--the process of learning to survive and succeed in the physical realm. In order to do this, we have had to mostly disconnect from awareness of any other level of our being and lose ourselves in the world of physical form., believing in its reality more than any other. This has been painful, but a necessary evolutionary step. In a sense we have all sacrificed our deeper happiness in order to fulfill this mission.
I want to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with being materially oriented. It is a very necessary and important stage in our individual growth process and our human evolution. We have needed to discover, experience, and develop the many aspects of our lives as human beings fully participating on the physical plane. A vast majority of humanity today is primarily focused on this fascinating process.
Many of us who are now on consciousness journeys began this lifetime by following the path of the material world, but at some point we have sensed that other alternatives exist, and we have begun our spiritual reawakening." pg. 45
"In order to do this [integration of spiritual and physical realities] we must strengthen our awareness of our essential roots as spiritual beings. And from that deeply rooted awareness, we must learn to fully embrace our human experience, the reality of our bodies and personalities. Through lovingly embracing the full range of our experience--human and divine--we can heal the split that has existed between spirit and form, in ourselves individually and in the whole world. We can bring the full power and awareness of our spiritual being into our human lives and all our worldly endeavors. Only then will we begin to discover the power and fulfillment that is possible in the physical form. We'll begin to experience what life on earth is really all about!" pg. 54
"The best indication that you are in tune with your inner truth is that you feel more alive as a result. Also, things generally work more easily. Doors open. There's a sense of following a certain flow of energy." pg. 68
"And finally, remember that developing inner guidance is a lifelong, ever-deepening process. I've been working on it for years, and I'm still learning and developing my ability to sense and trust my inner truth. Like all things in life, the process goes in cycles. Sometimes, my inner guidance is coming through clear and strong, and I feel completely in the flow of life. At other times I feel confused and lost, uncertain why things are happening the way they are and not knowing what to do about them. I've learned to trust those times, too, and know that eventually I come out the other side with greater awareness. A friend of mine calls this 'the lull,' which is as natural a part of our lives as the normal pause between heartbeats or between the exhalation and inhalation of breath.
Inner guidance is always there inside us, and it is always correct, wise, and loving. We may lose touch with it, or misinterpret it at times. We may try to push too hard and get ahead of ourselves. But our inner teacher never abandons us. We are never alone." pg.71
"Human life consists of four levels of being--spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. The path of transformation involves clearing, healing, developing, and integrating all four of these levels.
All of these levels are equally important. There isn't one that we can skip or neglect if we want to experience wholeness. We need to focus time and attention on healing and developing each one. As we do this, all four levels naturally begin to balance and become more fully integrated with one another." pg. 72
"Once we have done a substantial amount of work on the spiritual, mental, and emotional levels, we have the great challenge of bringing it all into the physical level. Here we have the opportunity to actually bring everything we have been learning and discovering into our daily lives, living fully and freely, moment by moment. This often requires some healing of the body itself. . .
All four levels of being are closely related to and affected by one another. As we heal one level, we support the healing process of all the other levels as well. Strengthening our spiritual connection gives us the inspiration and strength to face deep emotional healing, for example. As we do our emotional healing work, we release blocked energies on the mental and physical levels as well. And the more in tune we are with our physical bodies, the more energy we feel on every level. We may begin the process on any level and explore the various realms at different times in our lives. The ultimate goal is the integration of them all." pg. 75
"Spiritual healing occurs as we begin to consciously reconnect with our essential being--the wise, loving, powerful, creative entity that we are at our core. Through this connection with our spiritual essence, we begin to reexperience our oneness with all other beings and with all of nature. The more we connect with this essential oneness, the more we experience a sense of safety, trust, and fulfillment, a feeling of belonging in the universe. We experience our inner emptiness being filled by the spirit within.
This contact with our spiritual self gives us an expanded perspective on our lives, both as individuals and as part of humanity. Rather than just being caught up in the daily frustrations and struggles of our personality, we are able to see things from the perspective of the soul. We're able to look at the bigger picture of life on earth, which helps us to understand a lot more about why we're here and what we're doing. It helps to make our daily problems seem not quite so huge, and makes our lives feel more meaningful." pg. 77
"To experience balance, integration, and well-being, our belief systems and thought processes need to support and be in harmony with the other three levels of our existence, the physical, emotional, and spiritual. We need to have a spiritual understanding and acceptance of our own emotions that help us to accept ourselves. And we need to know how to care for our physical bodies in a healthy way." pg. 83
"In the process of becoming more conscious, we are constantly learning new ideas, viewpoints and philosophies, and weighing them against the ones we already hold. Gradually, we begin letting go of the old ideas that are too limiting for us, while retaining the ones that still serve us and incorporating new ones that are more expansive, deepening, and empowering." pg. 84
"Remember that the first step in any healing process is always acknowledgement and acceptance of what is true right now. We don't heal anything by trying to block it out, get rid of it, or pretend it doesn't exist. We heal it by accepting that it's there, and then becoming aware that there are other choices possible. So we need to acknowledge and accept our 'negative' thoughts as part of who we are, and at the same time recognize and develop other perspectives and ideas that give us more expansive possibilities." pg. 85
"We live in a society that's generally terrified of emotions. Our patriarchal mentality is highly suspicious of the feminine aspect of our being--this feeling, intuitive part of us. The rational side of us is trying to ensure our safety in the physical world, and fears the loss of control that deep emotion brings. Since our culture admires the more male, rational approach to life, and disrespects the more feminine, feeling side, we have all learned, to one degree or another, to hide and deny our feelings--even from ourselves. We've learned to bury most of our feelings deep inside, and show the world only what seems safe, which usually isn't very much." pg. 91-92
"Our thoughts are much more connected to our conscious mind and our will, whereas our feelings come from a deeper, less rational place. To some degree we can consciously choose our thoughts, but the only choice we have about our feelings is how we handle them." pg. 93
"When we were infants and children, we had many strong feelings. What we needed was to have people acknowledge and respond to these feelings in appropriate ways. For example, we needed to hear things like this: 'I understand that you're really upset that your brother got to go and you didn't.' Or, 'I can see that you're feeling really sad about grandpa being sick.'
In essence, as children we need validation of our feelings from our parents, families, teachers, and the surrounding world. We need to be assured that we have a right to our feelings, that our feelings aren't wrong or bad. We need to feel that others can understand and empathize with us when we are experiencing strong feelings. In short, we need to be allowed to have our own feeling experiences.
Having our feelings validated is, of course, quite different from being allowed to do whatever we want. Children need to be given clear limits and boundaries just as much as they need to be assured that having feelings is okay. Thus, at the same time that a parent might be telling the child, 'You can't go out and play now,' she could acknowledge that child's feelings, 'I know you are disappointed about that. I understand that you're upset because you want to ride your bike right now!'" pg. 94-95
"In emotional healing work we learn to give ourselves, and allow ourselves to receive from others, whatever we didn't receive as young children. We learn to accept and experience all our feelings and, when appropriate, to communicate these feelings in a way that allows others to understand us. We open the way to our emotional healing through the experience of having at least one other person hear, understand, and empathize with what we are feeling." pg. 96
"Our feelings are an important part of the life force that is constantly moving through us. If we don't allow ourselves to fully experience our emotions, we stop the natural flow of that life force. Energy gets blocked in our physical bodies and may remain that way for years or even a lifetime, unless it is released. This leads to emotional and physical pain and disease. Repressed feelings = blocked energy = emotional and physical ailments.
Accepting our emotions, allowing ourselves to feel them, and learning to communicate them constructively and appropriately, allows them to move through us easily and naturally. This enables the full free flow of the life force through our physical bodies, which brings emotional and physical healing. Experiencing feelings = free flowing energy = emotional and physical health and well-being." pg. 96-97
"Since the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of our being are all housed in our physical body, every bit of healing work that we do on the other three levels is reflected in our physical health and well-being. Our body is where we integrate and express all four levels of our existence. All the consciousness we gain on the other levels shows up in how alive we feel in our daily life. As the other levels are healed, our consciousness is freed to be more present in the moment. We naturally feel more in touch with our body and we are able to live in it more fully." pg. 99
Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.
"Humanity is in an ongoing process of conscious evolution. At this time, we are taking a giant step in consciousness--a great leap in that evolutionary process. It's probably the most exciting event that has ever taken place on this plane of reality. And I believe that on a soul level we have all chosen to be here at this time in order to take part in it. So we've committed ourselves to being here and doing this, we've put our hearts and souls into it, and now we're looking rather anxiously and breathlessly to see whether or not it's going to work! Somewhere, deep inside us, we know what is possible, and we're wondering if we're gong to be able to manifest that. It's a big question." pg. 7
"It is the nature of the human soul to constantly move forward into greater challenge, expansion, and awareness. The primary job of the human personality, however, is to try to survive in physical form and get our physical and emotional needs met as best we can. There are certain parts of our personalities that want to change and grow, recognizing that growing is necessary and beneficial. Other parts of us prefer to cling to whatever has worked for us in the past. These conservative inner voices argue, 'We've survived so far, haven't we? Why change something that's working okay?' These are the aspects of our psyches that urge us to stay with old patterns that feel safe and comfortable, rather than risking new things that we're not sure will work." pg. 8-9
"The tension between the parts of us that want to grow and change and the parts that want to remain safe in familiar territory is responsible for triggering what is called a 'healing crisis.' A healing crisis occurs at the point where we have outgrown an old pattern or way of being, but are still unconsciously holding onto that old way because it feels safe and familiar. Our response to a healing crisis can vary greatly, both according to who we are and in reaction to other influences that may be affecting us at the time. We may be feeling relatively comfortable and content in a pattern that is no longer vital, unaware that our soul--which always welcomes forward motion--is ready to guide us to a new level. Or we may be feeling stuck and frustrated, wanting to make a change but not quite willing or able to. So we unconsciously create some kind of physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual crisis that shakes us out of the old and propels us into the new." pg. 9
"Both individually and collectively, when we gain new awareness of what's possible, we suddenly look at how we've been doing things, and have a new perspective on our behavior. What seemed perfectly normal up to now may seem very limited, ineffective, or even a bit crazy. It's as if we've found a bit of consciousness to stand on, and this allows us to look back and see our former lack of consciousness. For example, in your personal life, you may begin to recognize a pattern that you have in a relationship as dysfunctional and self-defeating. You may even find yourself continuing to act out this pattern for a while, because a part of you is still holding onto the familiar behavior, even though you recognize its limitations and notice how it doesn't really work for you. You can only be having this awareness because another part of you has already recognized that there are other possible ways of behaving. Eventually, you will find yourself shifting into a new, more satisfying way of doing things." pg. 13-14
"I'm sure that many of your reading this book are already familiar with the concept of creating our own reality--the principle that we each take a very active part in creating the kind of world we experience. This metaphysical principle is based on the awareness that everything in the universe is made of one vital element which we can call 'energy' or 'life force.' This being so, everything in life is interconnected. Our thoughts and feelings are a form of energy, as are our physical bodies and seemingly solid material like stone and metal. Many modern physicists, observing this same phenomenon in science, agree that our thoughts, feelings, physical bodies and the material world around us, are all mutually interrelated and constantly affecting one another." pg. 18
"Blame is based on the negative assumption that something wrong or bad is happening and therefore someone is in error. Taking an attitude of responsibility, on the other hand, requires us to look at every situation as a potentially valuable learning experience. We need to cultivate the ability to appreciate the reality we've already created, and see the problems in it as gifts that can help us grow and evolve." pg. 23
"We are not to blame for the way our lives are unfolding. . . Blaming is a static state, one of standing in place and not moving on, while responsibility--the ability to respond--is dynamic, the very essence of forward movement. By looking at the reality we have manifested in a 'response-able' way, rather than a blaming way, we can learn more. We can become more conscious and aware of our own patterns. Choosing to be responsible instead of blaming ourselves is saying, 'Yes, I am a powerful, creative being, learning about what it's like to be in a physical form, learning how to create. Now that I see and appreciate what I've created, how can I learn from my reality, refine and improve it?'" pg. 23
"We project our inner conflicts, our rebellions, repressions, and fears, to the outside world all the time. I have found it helpful to look at our inner worlds in this way--to identify what kind of inner governments we have, what inner selves we allow to openly express and enjoy themselves, and what inner selves we repress and try to hold down." pg. 29
"We begin to see here, that for our personal or social/political actions to be most effective, we need to start with a deep understanding and commitment to our own consciousness process. This begins by recognizing that we truly do have a strong influence on creating the realities we experience, that we tend to draw to us those people and experiences that reflect our own consciousness in some way. Working from that base, we can learn what it is to take action from our own deepest inner sense of truth. We can discover the power of doing what we genuinely feel moved to do, what our hearts tell us is the right thing to do. Too often we base our actions on external standards or rules of behavior we've blindly adopted. Or we take a particular path of action because it seems like a rational idea or a theoretically good course to pursue." pg. 30
"We have the greatest healing effect on the world when we allow the life force to move through our own bodies. Our power comes not simply by what we say or do. Rather, our words and actions are vehicles for our life energy. What really transforms is the life force moving through us." pg. 32
"Every time we move to a new level of awareness--individually or collectively--we are confronted with new areas of denial, ignorance, pain, and, ultimately, healing. The process moves in cycles, so at times we feel clear and powerful, and at other times we feel lost in confusion. At times we feel stuck, being challenged to move ever more deeply into a specific area of healing. We struggle and resist for a time but when we can finally embrace those aspects of ourselves that we're resisting, we move quickly through them, finally at peace again for a time." pg. 38
"The journey of consciousness is a spiral. We move in cycles, but each cycle takes us to a deeper level. When we find a familiar lesson coming around again, we should never jump to the conclusion that it's coming up because we didn't learn it the first time around. Instead, we need to remind ourselves that we are always moving into deeper levels of awareness that cause us to take a new and different look at what may seem, at first glance, to be the same old issue." pg. 39
"One way to think of it is this: The oneness wanted to explore 'two-ness,' or 'otherness.' It wanted to develop its opposite. Or to phrase it more poetically, the universe wanted to make love to itself, so it created the physical world in order to develop separation and reunion." pg. 42
"Down through history, a majority of human beings have been focusing on what I call the path of the material world--the process of learning to survive and succeed in the physical realm. In order to do this, we have had to mostly disconnect from awareness of any other level of our being and lose ourselves in the world of physical form., believing in its reality more than any other. This has been painful, but a necessary evolutionary step. In a sense we have all sacrificed our deeper happiness in order to fulfill this mission.
I want to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with being materially oriented. It is a very necessary and important stage in our individual growth process and our human evolution. We have needed to discover, experience, and develop the many aspects of our lives as human beings fully participating on the physical plane. A vast majority of humanity today is primarily focused on this fascinating process.
Many of us who are now on consciousness journeys began this lifetime by following the path of the material world, but at some point we have sensed that other alternatives exist, and we have begun our spiritual reawakening." pg. 45
"In order to do this [integration of spiritual and physical realities] we must strengthen our awareness of our essential roots as spiritual beings. And from that deeply rooted awareness, we must learn to fully embrace our human experience, the reality of our bodies and personalities. Through lovingly embracing the full range of our experience--human and divine--we can heal the split that has existed between spirit and form, in ourselves individually and in the whole world. We can bring the full power and awareness of our spiritual being into our human lives and all our worldly endeavors. Only then will we begin to discover the power and fulfillment that is possible in the physical form. We'll begin to experience what life on earth is really all about!" pg. 54
"The best indication that you are in tune with your inner truth is that you feel more alive as a result. Also, things generally work more easily. Doors open. There's a sense of following a certain flow of energy." pg. 68
"And finally, remember that developing inner guidance is a lifelong, ever-deepening process. I've been working on it for years, and I'm still learning and developing my ability to sense and trust my inner truth. Like all things in life, the process goes in cycles. Sometimes, my inner guidance is coming through clear and strong, and I feel completely in the flow of life. At other times I feel confused and lost, uncertain why things are happening the way they are and not knowing what to do about them. I've learned to trust those times, too, and know that eventually I come out the other side with greater awareness. A friend of mine calls this 'the lull,' which is as natural a part of our lives as the normal pause between heartbeats or between the exhalation and inhalation of breath.
Inner guidance is always there inside us, and it is always correct, wise, and loving. We may lose touch with it, or misinterpret it at times. We may try to push too hard and get ahead of ourselves. But our inner teacher never abandons us. We are never alone." pg.71
"Human life consists of four levels of being--spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. The path of transformation involves clearing, healing, developing, and integrating all four of these levels.
All of these levels are equally important. There isn't one that we can skip or neglect if we want to experience wholeness. We need to focus time and attention on healing and developing each one. As we do this, all four levels naturally begin to balance and become more fully integrated with one another." pg. 72
"Once we have done a substantial amount of work on the spiritual, mental, and emotional levels, we have the great challenge of bringing it all into the physical level. Here we have the opportunity to actually bring everything we have been learning and discovering into our daily lives, living fully and freely, moment by moment. This often requires some healing of the body itself. . .
All four levels of being are closely related to and affected by one another. As we heal one level, we support the healing process of all the other levels as well. Strengthening our spiritual connection gives us the inspiration and strength to face deep emotional healing, for example. As we do our emotional healing work, we release blocked energies on the mental and physical levels as well. And the more in tune we are with our physical bodies, the more energy we feel on every level. We may begin the process on any level and explore the various realms at different times in our lives. The ultimate goal is the integration of them all." pg. 75
"Spiritual healing occurs as we begin to consciously reconnect with our essential being--the wise, loving, powerful, creative entity that we are at our core. Through this connection with our spiritual essence, we begin to reexperience our oneness with all other beings and with all of nature. The more we connect with this essential oneness, the more we experience a sense of safety, trust, and fulfillment, a feeling of belonging in the universe. We experience our inner emptiness being filled by the spirit within.
This contact with our spiritual self gives us an expanded perspective on our lives, both as individuals and as part of humanity. Rather than just being caught up in the daily frustrations and struggles of our personality, we are able to see things from the perspective of the soul. We're able to look at the bigger picture of life on earth, which helps us to understand a lot more about why we're here and what we're doing. It helps to make our daily problems seem not quite so huge, and makes our lives feel more meaningful." pg. 77
"To experience balance, integration, and well-being, our belief systems and thought processes need to support and be in harmony with the other three levels of our existence, the physical, emotional, and spiritual. We need to have a spiritual understanding and acceptance of our own emotions that help us to accept ourselves. And we need to know how to care for our physical bodies in a healthy way." pg. 83
"In the process of becoming more conscious, we are constantly learning new ideas, viewpoints and philosophies, and weighing them against the ones we already hold. Gradually, we begin letting go of the old ideas that are too limiting for us, while retaining the ones that still serve us and incorporating new ones that are more expansive, deepening, and empowering." pg. 84
"Remember that the first step in any healing process is always acknowledgement and acceptance of what is true right now. We don't heal anything by trying to block it out, get rid of it, or pretend it doesn't exist. We heal it by accepting that it's there, and then becoming aware that there are other choices possible. So we need to acknowledge and accept our 'negative' thoughts as part of who we are, and at the same time recognize and develop other perspectives and ideas that give us more expansive possibilities." pg. 85
"We live in a society that's generally terrified of emotions. Our patriarchal mentality is highly suspicious of the feminine aspect of our being--this feeling, intuitive part of us. The rational side of us is trying to ensure our safety in the physical world, and fears the loss of control that deep emotion brings. Since our culture admires the more male, rational approach to life, and disrespects the more feminine, feeling side, we have all learned, to one degree or another, to hide and deny our feelings--even from ourselves. We've learned to bury most of our feelings deep inside, and show the world only what seems safe, which usually isn't very much." pg. 91-92
"Our thoughts are much more connected to our conscious mind and our will, whereas our feelings come from a deeper, less rational place. To some degree we can consciously choose our thoughts, but the only choice we have about our feelings is how we handle them." pg. 93
"When we were infants and children, we had many strong feelings. What we needed was to have people acknowledge and respond to these feelings in appropriate ways. For example, we needed to hear things like this: 'I understand that you're really upset that your brother got to go and you didn't.' Or, 'I can see that you're feeling really sad about grandpa being sick.'
In essence, as children we need validation of our feelings from our parents, families, teachers, and the surrounding world. We need to be assured that we have a right to our feelings, that our feelings aren't wrong or bad. We need to feel that others can understand and empathize with us when we are experiencing strong feelings. In short, we need to be allowed to have our own feeling experiences.
Having our feelings validated is, of course, quite different from being allowed to do whatever we want. Children need to be given clear limits and boundaries just as much as they need to be assured that having feelings is okay. Thus, at the same time that a parent might be telling the child, 'You can't go out and play now,' she could acknowledge that child's feelings, 'I know you are disappointed about that. I understand that you're upset because you want to ride your bike right now!'" pg. 94-95
"In emotional healing work we learn to give ourselves, and allow ourselves to receive from others, whatever we didn't receive as young children. We learn to accept and experience all our feelings and, when appropriate, to communicate these feelings in a way that allows others to understand us. We open the way to our emotional healing through the experience of having at least one other person hear, understand, and empathize with what we are feeling." pg. 96
"Our feelings are an important part of the life force that is constantly moving through us. If we don't allow ourselves to fully experience our emotions, we stop the natural flow of that life force. Energy gets blocked in our physical bodies and may remain that way for years or even a lifetime, unless it is released. This leads to emotional and physical pain and disease. Repressed feelings = blocked energy = emotional and physical ailments.
Accepting our emotions, allowing ourselves to feel them, and learning to communicate them constructively and appropriately, allows them to move through us easily and naturally. This enables the full free flow of the life force through our physical bodies, which brings emotional and physical healing. Experiencing feelings = free flowing energy = emotional and physical health and well-being." pg. 96-97
"Since the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of our being are all housed in our physical body, every bit of healing work that we do on the other three levels is reflected in our physical health and well-being. Our body is where we integrate and express all four levels of our existence. All the consciousness we gain on the other levels shows up in how alive we feel in our daily life. As the other levels are healed, our consciousness is freed to be more present in the moment. We naturally feel more in touch with our body and we are able to live in it more fully." pg. 99
Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2022
در توضیح پشت جلد کتاب آمده است: «پیام این کتاب واقعا ساده است، وقتی ما عوض شویم، جهان پیرامونمان نیز عوض میشود. وقتی خود را شفا دهیم، جهان را شفا میدهیم. هیچ فردی نمیتواند به طرز قابل ملاحضهای بیش از دیگران تکامل یابد. همه ما در حوزه آگاهی معینی محاط شدهایم. اگرچه ممکن است نقشی را به عهده بگیریم که تا مرز رهبری پیش برود...»
July 12, 2020
Ok
Overall it was an ok book. I felt it could have been shortened and honestly at times I felt like it just repeated itself without making any different points. It may help others more though and it was interesting to read it now with everything going on in the world.
Overall it was an ok book. I felt it could have been shortened and honestly at times I felt like it just repeated itself without making any different points. It may help others more though and it was interesting to read it now with everything going on in the world.
June 4, 2020
Läst på svenska: "Förvandlingens väg"
December 20, 2021
Divine!!
This work explained everything I have been feeling and going through. Glad to know I am on the right track.
This work explained everything I have been feeling and going through. Glad to know I am on the right track.
October 25, 2022
Many points to high light. Read it and enjoy. I will be doing a more in depth review on youtube soon.
July 31, 2023
Want to read
December 23, 2013
This book was required reading for my yoga teacher training class. It was pages and pages of repetitive mindless babble about doing "work" to heal yourself and the world... but this "work" is never described other than some included childish drawing exercises and ridiculous meditation ideas. This woman has the audacity to say all terminally ill people unconsciously want to die, and are choosing death over life. WHAT?! Ugh. Revolting.
May 13, 2022
واقعا کتاب خیلی خوبی بود !
اگه به کتاب های خود شناسی مثل نیمه تاریک وجود و کتاب های مشابهش علاقه مندید حتما این کتاب رو مطالعه کنید.
در این کتاب شاکتی گواین وجود آدمی رو به چهار بخش (جسمی ،عاطفی،ذهنی،معنوی) تقسیم میکنه و با موشکافی هر بخش نشون میده که چطور با درمان هربخش ،بخش های دیگه هم شفا پیدا می کنند.مثلا چطوری با شفای بخش عاطفی بیماری های جسمی هم درمان میشوند و...
بخش دیگر کتاب به ارتباط بسیار عمیق انسان و جهان میپردازه و همینطور چگونه با درمان درون جهان هم درمان میشه.
اگه به کتاب های خود شناسی مثل نیمه تاریک وجود و کتاب های مشابهش علاقه مندید حتما این کتاب رو مطالعه کنید.
در این کتاب شاکتی گواین وجود آدمی رو به چهار بخش (جسمی ،عاطفی،ذهنی،معنوی) تقسیم میکنه و با موشکافی هر بخش نشون میده که چطور با درمان هربخش ،بخش های دیگه هم شفا پیدا می کنند.مثلا چطوری با شفای بخش عاطفی بیماری های جسمی هم درمان میشوند و...
بخش دیگر کتاب به ارتباط بسیار عمیق انسان و جهان میپردازه و همینطور چگونه با درمان درون جهان هم درمان میشه.
March 24, 2015
Helped me! The last chapters were most helpful!
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