Recommended Reading
Rev. Marian Whiteman
Staff Minister, Pastoral Care
Let me know what you’ve been reading!
It Was the Best of Times [Fall 2007]
“It was the best of times. . .” No doubt you recognize this taste of a quotation from A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Wanting to spare you the task of rushing to your Bartlett’s FAMILIAR QUOTATIONS to check on the rest of the passage, this writer rushed there for you and found a passage that is incredibly perfect for highlighting what we choose to affirm as Truth here at the Center and what we see, in contrast, as condition only. Herewith:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
It is the intention of this article to talk about some books that pinpoint Wisdom, Belief, and Light.
First, we want to showcase Living Wabi Sabi by Taro Gold. This amazing teaching puts forth the joy, creativity, and empowerment of imperfection through an ancient way of looking at life. It celebrates the uniqueness of each of us at the same time honoring the perfectly imperfect. Wabi sabi is Japanese, meaning ‘wisdom in natural simplicity’. This teaching helps us to see the beauty in imperfections and discover the strength that comes from facing and admitting our flaws.
We are reminded of St. Augustine’s thought that the very perfection of a man is to find out his own imperfection. A second book on this track is The Wabi-Sabi House by Robyn Griggs Lawrence, which describes the Japanese art of imperfect beauty. . . the marriage of the humble with décor in our homes.
Our beloved Dr. David Walker, former President of Religious Science International, has a down-to-earth, no-nonsense book straight off the press and already in our bookstore, entitled You Are Enough. Each chapter ends with constructive self-talk which leads us eventually to understand that we are enough simply because we exist .This is an easy and satisfying read that will likely change your life.
Now, take a deep breath and say to yourself, “I am open and receptive to new thinking; I do not judge quickly or make assumptions” because the value of this next work is in question by several people whose opinions are highly valuable. The first third is slow, subtle, and confusing in some ways. But it takes off in the middle and then takes wings. By the end, if you get to the end, you will at last understand Meditation, Contemplation, and Transition. The Diamond In Your Pocket by Gangaji (with a forward by Eckhart Tolle) is my choice of the season.
Gerald Jampolsky published a very important book back in 1983 which has recently been reprinted. It is called Good-Bye To Guilt, with a foreword by John Denver. You will remember that Dr. Jampolsky wrote Love Is Letting Go Of Fear, and these two books have a lot in common since they are both talking subtly about forgiveness. Since love and guilt cannot coexist, this is a great book to read again and again.
In closing, it seems important to mention a book about awakening. We often hear it said at the end of a talk, “. . . and thus beginneth our lesson”. Natural Radiance by Lama Surya Das is such a book. We learn here about Sky Gazing, which means decontracting, space-mingling, and dissolving in the Infinite.
So, I repeat, that this is indeed the best of times!
R. E. A. D. [Summer 2007]
Here is your chance to make your own acronym. I chose what will surprise no one:
Reading
Emerson
Attracts
Demonstrations
In this issue, we are five-starring the words ‘manifestation’ and ‘demonstration.’ Hands down, the best way to manifest is to experience demonstrations. Because it is done unto us as we believe, the belief comes first (as well as last and always). Now, you might understandably point out that you find it difficult to grasp something you haven’t experienced; and, of course, this position gets us well on the road to “which-comes-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg?”
Let’s explore this dilemma through books. The material is vast and immeasurably helpful. For this particular writing, we are confining our remarks to those authors who are skilled in this area.
Dr. Holmes states unequivocally that there is an ever-present Power for Good that is available to all. If this Power has been abused, and bondage and trouble are rampant, we have the option of taking the old worn-out cause and, through prayer, setting a new cause in order to experience change and a return to Freedom and Joy. Ernest Holmes wrote numerous books and each one in its own way addresses the how and the why of the process.
Paramahansa Yogananda, a great advocate of the Oneness of all things, has much to say about the enigmas of Life. He states: “Mankind is engaged in an eternal quest for that ‘something else’ he hopes will bring him Happiness...for those individuals who have sought and found God, the search is over.”
He is one of the truly skilled teachers. Learn from his understanding.
The minds and lives that J. Kennedy Shultz choreographs in A Legacy of Truth are carefully chosen and allow the reader to experience demonstrations as though firsthand. He promises that we, too, have the potential to know what these men know and let it take place daily. He chose Socrates, Aurelius, Spinoza, Swedenborg, Voltaire, Kant, Emerson, Schweitzer; and we would add Shultz because of his insight; and he would add YOU!
For some, modern day writers are even more helpful. The work of Mazlo and Dyer on ‘actualization’ teaches us to move through the process toward the end that only Good comes from everything. Raymond Holliwell offers many pages on the subject of the Law of Attraction and how it works, a forerunner to the current secretless Secret.
Beethoven, Wagner, and Thoreau found answers through long walks in the woods and passed their discoveries on to us. What will be your breakthrough? Will it be through the books you read??????
In the Beginning [Spring 2007]
In this writing, we want to start with a premise. If we desire Healing in any area of life, we must uncover ways to let the knowledge of the Power exceed the fear of the condition. A primary source of knowledge is reading; and part of the joy of acquiring learning is a family affair. Adults who read inspire children who read. Dr. Holmes says on page 126 of our textbook, “Whatever we think, act, believe in, feel, visualize, vision, image, read, and talk about . . . we alone control our destiny.”
We keep one of the beautiful DeVorss catalogs in the book store and can order children’s books for you if your choice doesn’t happen to be on hand. There is an entire section for children and teens, as well as Audio listings. A few of them are: Don’t Give It Away by Vanzant, who was a delightful visitor at RSCD a few years ago when the AGNT meetings were held in our valley; Touch For Health Song by S. Garrick; Dreamsong of the Eagle by T. Andrews; and Remember the Secret by Kubler-Ross, the great mentor on death and dying. (I do not know of her using the word “transition”.)
A fun way to bring laughter into family reading is through amusing word reference books. Ounce, Dice, Trice, by Alastair Reid, is for all ages and is bound to amaze, astonish, and awaken a love of words, whether you like the light ones, the heavy ones, or the squishy ones. The Disheveled Dictionary, by Karen Elizabeth Gordon, is slanted toward adults and will definitely cure writer’s block in any Science Of Mind student. Amo, Amas, Amat, by Eugene Ehrlich with an introduction by William F. Buckley Jr., is for wannabe scholars. Would you like to astound your peers with the English translation of “Ecce homo,” the words Pontius Pilate spoke while showing people the Christ wearing the crown of thorns? It is interesting to note that Hippocrates coined the saying “Ars longa, vita brevis,” which translates loosely that the art of healing has a life much longer than that of its practitioner or patient.
In Matthew 4:4 we read, “It is written that man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Our teaching echoes over and over in what we read that, by changing our thought, we can change our lives. In closing, let us remind ourselves of four great books for deepening our understanding of Principle: Your Mind Can Heal You, by Frederick Bailes; As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen; The Secret Path, by Paul Brunton; and Learn to Live, by Ervin Seale.
Let’s double our Blessings through good books!
