Rating: 
Summary: ARGH!!
Review: I'm so TIRED of this "cling to the light and put away the dark" stuff, with us since Zoroaster.The two stars I gave this book reflect that it's well-written, as all her books are, and that the prayerful upliftments might be useful for really down people. But let's put aside the manic defenses and strained optimism long enough to ask (as this book does not): aren't there some sadnesses, angers, and depressions that ought to be LISTENED to instead of worked through? If your boss searches your desk and your husband is a nag and the news convinces you that nobody cares whether the Earth overheats or not, isn't the appropriate, sane, healthy reaction to feel: UGHHH! Sure, we don't want to stay there. But that's the beauty of an emotionality which, like Shakespeare's, was open to everything, dark as well as light, unpleasant as well as pleasant: the emotions move themselves on after a time. Frankly, telling people who are down that they should try harder to be up--whether overtly or by implication--is about the most UNspiritual ministry imaginable. Please, let our joy and light be founded on our wholeness, however risky or painful, and not our defenses against it!
Rating: 
Summary: Marianne leads her readers through another soul-searching.
Review: Marianne Williamson did it again. She has shared her beautiful writing skills in a way that leads her readers to a deeper spiritual place. The prayers are enlightening and soul-searching. These prayers cover all times and situations in life and can be used individually and for groups. They are written in a way that is easily understood by all. It is a "must have" on my bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: A true gem
Review: Marrianne Williamson's work is both real and honest. Rather than couch things in a concepts that are alien or extremely religious, she talks to you about the realities of existing. Of how things will not always be easy, about how you will lose your way, and honestly how to see people clearly. Growth is messy, it's not neat, maturity is not easy, nor is spirtiuality delicate work, but with assistance from a tape like this you can see yourself clearly and how to bridge yourself from concept to human to spiritual being.
Rating:
Summary: A true gem
Review: Marrianne Williamson's work is both real and honest. Rather than couch things in a concepts that are alien or extremely religious, she talks to you about the realities of existing. Of how things will not always be easy, about how you will lose your way, and honestly how to see people clearly. Growth is messy, it's not neat, maturity is not easy, nor is spirtiuality delicate work, but with assistance from a tape like this you can see yourself clearly and how to bridge yourself from concept to human to spiritual being.
Rating:
Summary: What did I do before I found this book?
Review: Several years ago while watching Oprah I discovered this amazing book. I bought the book and now have it safely by my bedside. I pick it up on a daily basis and read..somthing..I cannot believe how much this book has helped me in my daily life. I have also bought the book and given it to several of my friends as gifts because it truely has something for everybody in it. I have also read all the rest of Marianne's books which are also very good but this one is just too good for words. I have Fibromylgia and live in constent pain each and every day but this book always lets me know that there is hope. All I can say it Thank You Marianne and please keep writing and if you ever come to the state of Washington I would love to hear you speak.
Rating:
Summary: The World One Heart at a Time
Review: She writes: "Ultimately, the choice to love each other is the only choice for a survivable future... every time we open our hearts, we create the space for a global alternative. The opening of the heart is an awesome personal politic, providing us with an internal strength greater than any worldly power. As we receive God's love and impart it to others, we are given the power to repair the world... Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one..." It is as if Williamson understands, and I suspect she does, how tired my own heart grows at times as it travels its lifelong spiritual journey. Is striving to better oneself really worth it? Is it a good thing to be a good person in a dog-eat-dog society? Or is the harsh reality that the one who plays in mud, who is willing to step on another's back, who plays hard to get, who is a master of manipulation, who never blinks at putting oneself first, is inevitably the one who wins the prize? Perhaps. More times than I care to know. And still.... the lifelong struggle to better oneself is, yes, worth it. If only for that final moment when one faces one's own image in the mirror of self-judgement. "Illuminata" is a book of prayers. There are prayers to begin the new day - and to end it. There are prayers for strength, for health, for happiness, for the renewal of faith, for forgiveness. There are prayers for friends, for family, for lovers. There are prayers to heal nations. There are prayers to overcome addictions, betrayal, emptiness, obsession, loss, greed. There are prayers to mark moments of routine, of tradition, of ritual, of ceremony. The prayers are separated by Williamson's simple, but insightful meditations. Like many of us, I don't pray nearly as often as I should. Many of my prayers are spoken not in words, but in the way that I touch someone I love, in the manner with which I greet my morning, in the silence I keep when my heart requires healing. But sometimes we need the words to pray. Although I have rarely used her exact words, Williamson's prayers have taught me... that to speak to God is to simultaneously speak to our deeper and higher selves. It is an exchange that is necessary. It is a part of that lifelong journey that we cannot, must not avoid. And, as Williamson writes, we do indeed change the world... one heart at a time.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and cathartic
Review: The prayers are simple and beautiful, but more importantly cathartic. Just the right touch.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: The prayers in this book are amazing. Ms. Williamson's words are placed in such a way that the prayers are so genuine, innocent and sincere. Truly they flow together. I'm not overtly religious, but this book is truly for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: I used to be confused about prayer....
Review: This book has helped me to develop a closer relationship to my God. It gave me a dialogue to use as a foundation to my prayer work. When I practice these meditations I feel a calm serenity and often a healing. I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a more gratifying life with their Higher Power.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Moving
Review: This is one of the very best prayer books that I have found in bookstores today. Marianne has written prayers for almost every life situation...from birth, death, marriage, divorce, end of relationship, a new job, etc. There are very few situations of change in my life that aren't addressed by one of her beautiful and moving verses. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a more "spiritual" and less "religious" prayer book.
|
