To Succeed... Just Let Go |
Willie Horton - Janus Books - ISBN 1-85756-645-9 |
Publisher's Note |
Do you ever feel that nothing works out for you and that you are not actually much of a success at anything? Do you find yourself dreaming about what you would really like to happen in you life but always dismiss these thoughts as unobtainable and fanciful? It doesn’t have to be that way. What you are lacking is self-belief. In this book, Willie Horton looks closely at our attitude to life and the fundamental importance of positive thinking in achieving our goals. He takes us through various mind-training processes, encouraging us to identify our desires in life, work out a plan as to how to achieve them and then work assertively towards the fulfilment of those goals. He stresses the need for the strength of will not to give up in the face of adversity. To Succeed … Just Let Go tackles issues that affect many of us at some time in our lives, especially during periods of frustration or stagnation. It is a practical and accessible guide to facing life head on and throwing down the gauntlet to good fortune and success. |
Willie's Impression |
Based on my original two-day workshop (or, at least what the workshop was like ten years ago!) – a simple guide on how to get the most out of life – an easy reminder, for Gurdy members, of a couple of its key points. But, of course, I'm biased! |
Awareness |
Anthony deMello - ISBN 0 00 627519 2 |
Publisher's Note |
Awareness is Anthony de Mello’s best-selling guide to the spiritual life, now firmly established as a modern spiritual classic. It uses humour, compassion and insight to help readers into an understanding of the importance of awareness in order to understand ourselves and the world around us. With anecdotes and stories as well as guidelines and exercises in self-help, this book is filled with real wisdom and practical advice. It tackles the universal issues of change, happiness, suffering and loss and also gives direction on coping with love, anger and fear. One of the most gifted spiritual teachers of the 20th Century, Anthony de Mello was widely known throughout the world for his retreats, workshops and therapy courses before his untimely death in 1987. |
Willie's Impression |
Essential reading – forthright, incredibly insightful, challenging and blunt – readable only in small chunks (there’s so much to digest) – the book is, in fact, excerpts from some of deMello’s renowned workshops. |
The Miracle of Mindfulness |
Thich Nhat Hanh - ISBN 0-7126-4787-2 |
Publisher's Note |
In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to acquire the skills of mindfulness. Once we have these skills, we can slow our lives down and discover how to live in the moment. Even simple acts like washing the dishes or drinking a cup of tea may be transformed into acts of medidation. Hanh’s gentle anecdotes and practical exercises will help us to arrive at greater self-understanding and peacefulness, whether we are beginners or advanced students. Irrespective of our particular religious beliefs, we can begin to reap the immense benefits that meditation has been scientifically proven to offer. We can all learn to experience the miracle of mindfulness for ourselves. |
Willie's Impression |
Based on a letter written by Hanh to his monks in Vietnam, during the war, it encourages the reader to focus in the here and now. A book of insights and meditations which enable the reader develop greater calm, awareness and mindfulness. Essential reading. |
The Game of Life and How to Play It |
Florence Scovel-Shinn - ISBN 0 85207 325 9 |
Publisher's Note |
Many thousands of people owe a great deal to this little book, because it has taught them that life it not a battle but a game. The rules for the game are set out in the Old and New Testaments. It is a game of giving and receiving. Jesus Christ taught that ‘whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap’. This simply means that whatever a man sends out in words or deeds he will eventually have returned to him. We are also taught that visualisation plays a leading part in the game of life. What a man imagines sooner or later externalises in his affairs. This book shows how everyone can change their conditions and circumstances by guarding how he thinks and what he says. |
Willie's Impression |
Drawing on anecdotes from her own practice and the Bible, Scovel-Shinn wrote this wonderful, simple and highly practical “user’s manual” over 80 years ago. Still a best-seller – that speaks for itself. |
The Power of Now |
Eckhart Tolle - ISBN 0-340-73350-0 |
Publisher's Note |
To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind an ego behind. From the first chapter we move into a significantly higher altitude where one breathes the air of the spiritual. Although the journey is challenging, Tolle offers simple language and a question and answer format to guide us. The words themselves are the signposts. For many of us there are new discoveries to be made along the way. We are not our mind; we can find out way out of psychological pain; authentic human power is found by surrendering to the Now. We also find out that the body is one of the keys to entering inner peace, as are the silence and space around us. These access points can all be used to bring us into the Now, the present moment, where problems do not exist. It is here we discover that we are already complete and perfect. If we are able to be fully present and take each step in the Now; if we are able to feel the reality of such thinigs as the inner-body, surrender, forgiveness, and the unmanifested, we will be opening ourselves to the transforming experience of The Power of Now. |
Willie's Impression |
Viewed by many as a classic, I believe it requires of the reader a good deal of background knowledge on its subject, prior to starting to read it. Not light reading – but well worth the effort. |
Feng Shui for the Body |
Daniel Santos - ISBN 0-8356-0762-3 |
Publisher's Note |
This breakthrough book by a master acupuncturist, healer and Doctor of Oriental Medicine applies the principles of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of energy flow, to the most intimate house we inhabit – the human body. As he learns the inners secrets of Feng Shui from three engaging teachers, Daniel Santos shows us how to use the “Four Motions” – body movement, breath, eye movement and sound – to maximise the flow of healthful life energy. Postures, simple exercises and innovative meditations as well as a fascinating story of personal discovery offer fresh insights into the body-mind healing. |
Willie's Impression |
Don’t let the title put you off – this is an excellent book exploring the ways in which we can access our inner selves. The author uses a fictional narrative for this purpose – I think it really works. |
Walking on Water |
Anthony deMello - ISBN 185607 240 1 |
Publisher's Note |
This is a book about reaching God in our own time – says Anthony de Mello. As he moves us along the path, he blends Christian wisdom with Eastern methods of meditation and he draws widely on stories of monks, rabbis and soldiers, fairy tales and legends, gentle jokes and Zen sayings, along with numerous simple exercises. Fresh, lively and absorbing, de Mello’s extraordinary insights into the reality of human living and its divine origins and destination will come as a breath of fresh air and encouragement to everyone who seeks meaning and purpose in our turbulent world. |
Willie's Impression |
A book peppered with insightful anecdotes and meditations – read a little at a time. |
SynchroDestiny |
Deepak Chopra - ISBN 184413221-8 |
Publisher's Note |
Chopra shows how coincidences are messages about the miraculous potential of each moment. He reveals how, through understanding the forces that shape coincidences, you can learn to live life at a deeper level and access the flow of synchronicity that lies at the heart of existence. You can start to transform your life through full-contact living, in which all things will be within your reach. The seeds of a perfect destiny lie within you – this book will show you how to release this potential and live a life more wondrous than dreams. |
Willie's Impression |
Chopra explains and illustrates the manner in which coincidence or synchronicity act in our lives – to bring about the life that is best for us. The second half of the book contains a number of suggested exercises which might not be everyone’s “cup of tea”! |
Travelling Light |
Daniel J. O'Leary - ISBN 1-85607-319-X |
Publisher's Note |
There are two questions to ask yourself. Do you feel a call to deepen your life, to live more freely, to be more happy? And the second is, are you prepared to take the time and the trouble to discover this new way of living, and to enjoy it forever? The aim of this book is to empower you to respond “Yes” to both these questions. It takes courage and trust to take the first step. There will be voices within and without telling you to wait, or that you haven’t got what it takes, or to forget it. But is you are ready, the way is already being prepared for you! What is essential is this – to keep trusting and letting go, to stay open and vulnerable, to live only in the present moment of your journey. That is all and that is enough. The superabundant life follows. And the travelling is everything. |
Willie's Impression |
A beautiful book, written in an ambling style – insights and practical advice on how to “just let go”! |
Coming to Our Senses |
Jon Kabat-Zinn - ISBN 9-780749-925888 |
Publisher's Note |
As stress continues to exact a toll on everyday life, we are increasingly turning to ancient meditative methods which have been tested by science to enable us reduce that stress and become more focused and healthy in our everyday lives. The author has been. For decades, at the forefront of the mind/body movement and the subsequent revolution in medicine and healthcare, both de-mystifying it and bringing it into the mainstream. He shares his belief that every human has the capacity to mobilise deep, innate resources for continual learning, growing, healing and transformation, through mindfulness. Woven into eight parts, the book uses anecdotes from the author’s own life experiences and work to illustrate the realm of healing possibilities. This book offers a remarkable insight into how the use of the five senses – touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell – as a path to a healthier, saner and more meaningful life. |
Willie's Impression |
See, feel, hear, smell and taste it! A large volume that explores our ability to get in touch with reality – by coming to our senses! |
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success |
Deepak Chopra - ISBN 0-593-04083-X |
Publisher's Note |
Chopra offers a life-altering perspective on the attainment of success: Once we understand our true nature and learn to live in harmony with the natural law, a sense of well-being, good health, fulfilling relationships, energy and enthusiasm for life and material abundance will spring forth easily and effortlessly. Filled with timeless wisdom and practical steps you can apply right away, this is a book you will want to read and refer to again and again. |
Willie's Impression |
A short, simple and practical book – clearly stating how we can live contentedly. |