Healing, Living, and Being

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Despite the Flaws
Review: I loved this audio cassette tape set! But by no means is it flawless. In fact, the recording mix is poor. The volume levels are inconsistent (in part due to Mitchell May's unique way of presenting his lecture) and need to be adjusted in spots. You may also have to replay the tapes in those areas to catch May's remarks in their entirety. Furthermore, May often diverges from his theme of "HEALING, LIVING and BEING" with humorous though unnecessary anecdotes. And please note well: these tapes are not for the squemish or those with weak stomachs. May suffered through a horrible accident 25 years ago that nearly took his life, and he discusses his injuries and the ensuing medical interventions in graphic detail.

With all that said, just who is Mitchell May and why do I recommend this two-tape set so highly? To answer the first question, Mitchell May is a healer, who, by his own admission, has never healed anyone, but by helping his clients to be present, he has allowed life to do the healing. Although I had never heard of May before, I would seek his advice above any of the current gurus of healing, and this includes some well-known names such as Chopra and Weil.

Actually these tapes have less to do with physical healing than they do with healing one's consciousness. But what May has to say should be heard by anyone who believes they are on a journey, healthy or otherwise. These tapes are for those of us who, like May, believe that consciousness and not the material world is the fundamental resource of life. For many, one's path of awakening actually restricts consciousness. Those, who follow many popular gurus and insist they are not part of a cult but yet follow a strict regimen of how they have to think, how they have to pray, how they have to breathe or how they have to do this and not do that, need to hear these tapes. May insists, and I certainly agree, that these people have come full circle back to the same restrictive confines they were hoping to escape. They have thrown aside the dogmas of traditional religions only to become entrapped in puritanical lifestyles of their own creation. In other words, if you are following a belief system that insists it has all the answers, if you are dogmatically concerned about sleeping with your head to the north every night or making certain your chakras are correctly aligned each morning or eating a perfectly macrobiotic diet each and every day, then you need these tapes.

May's point here, and it is a crucial one that most New Age gurus ignore, is that the best space in life to be in is where you are not afraid to honestly admit: "I just don't know what to do." Why? Eventually, if you believe that you are made in the image and likeness of God, then this space will lead you to the realization that all you will ever need is within you, and it is this realization that will heal you. You need not look anywhere else.

Does this mean that May recommends avoiding all gurus and their methodolgies? Not at all. But May does draw a distinction between a religious experience and a spiritual one. A religious experience is based on someone else's experience and what your are supposed to do to achieve it. A spiritual experience is one you directly experience for yourself. You can use the methodologies of others to have your own direct experience, to discover for yourself how big life is. If not, move on! Don't stop at some convenient space or point where you finally get some small piece of life to work. "Life is so much bigger." Thank you, Mitchell.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Despite the Flaws
Review: I loved this audio cassette tape set! But by no means is it flawless. In fact, the recording mix is poor. The volume levels are inconsistent (in part due to Mitchell May's unique way of presenting his lecture) and need to be adjusted in spots. You may also have to replay the tapes in those areas to catch May's remarks in their entirety. Furthermore, May often diverges from his theme of "HEALING, LIVING and BEING" with humorous though unnecessary anecdotes. And please note well: these tapes are not for the squemish or those with weak stomachs. May suffered through a horrible accident 25 years ago that nearly took his life, and he discusses his injuries and the ensuing medical interventions in graphic detail.

With all that said, just who is Mitchell May and why do I recommend this two-tape set so highly? To answer the first question, Mitchell May is a healer, who, by his own admission, has never healed anyone, but by helping his clients to be present, he has allowed life to do the healing. Although I had never heard of May before, I would seek his advice above any of the current gurus of healing, and this includes some well-known names such as Chopra and Weil.

Actually these tapes have less to do with physical healing than they do with healing one's consciousness. But what May has to say should be heard by anyone who believes they are on a journey, healthy or otherwise. These tapes are for those of us who, like May, believe that consciousness and not the material world is the fundamental resource of life. For many, one's path of awakening actually restricts consciousness. Those, who follow many popular gurus and insist they are not part of a cult but yet follow a strict regimen of how they have to think, how they have to pray, how they have to breathe or how they have to do this and not do that, need to hear these tapes. May insists, and I certainly agree, that these people have come full circle back to the same restrictive confines they were hoping to escape. They have thrown aside the dogmas of traditional religions only to become entrapped in puritanical lifestyles of their own creation. In other words, if you are following a belief system that insists it has all the answers, if you are dogmatically concerned about sleeping with your head to the north every night or making certain your chakras are correctly aligned each morning or eating a perfectly macrobiotic diet each and every day, then you need these tapes.

May's point here, and it is a crucial one that most New Age gurus ignore, is that the best space in life to be in is where you are not afraid to honestly admit: "I just don't know what to do." Why? Eventually, if you believe that you are made in the image and likeness of God, then this space will lead you to the realization that all you will ever need is within you, and it is this realization that will heal you. You need not look anywhere else.

Does this mean that May recommends avoiding all gurus and their methodolgies? Not at all. But May does draw a distinction between a religious experience and a spiritual one. A religious experience is based on someone else's experience and what your are supposed to do to achieve it. A spiritual experience is one you directly experience for yourself. You can use the methodologies of others to have your own direct experience, to discover for yourself how big life is. If not, move on! Don't stop at some convenient space or point where you finally get some small piece of life to work. "Life is so much bigger." Thank you, Mitchell.