Reviews for A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

The average rating for A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-03-08 00:00:00 Kendall Niggemyer Okay so I had high expectations for this book. Normally I don't really go for Oprah selections but I heard so many great things about it plus I am totally into new agey type things, I thought it would be right up my alley. My problem with this book was twofold. First, a lot of the ideas weren't new to me. Living in the present (you are not walking across the room to get a book, you are walking across the room), not letting your ego attach itself to things (that is not "my car" or "my house"), etc. And for the most part I agree with those ideals. I think because I do a lot of yoga and it's all about being with yourself in that moment, not judging based on what you did in class yesterday or last week, and not thinking about what you need to buy at the grocery store, I've already applied a lot of this to other areas in my life. And this is probably why I love yoga so much - I can totally get into that place. So I was reading the book going yeah, yeah, yeah I get it (and I felt like he repeated himself a thousand times). My second problem is... what's so bad about sometimes attaching yourself to people or things or concepts? Of course it's bad to get yourself totally wrapped in being "x and y's mom" or "z employee of this company" but why is bad to feel pride in that? It makes it harder to lose something if you've attached it to your ego, but I am okay with that. My parents are MY parents and assuming they precede my in death, it will be so hard but I am fine with experiencing a whole range of emotions in this life -- being excessively happy and excessively sad. My kids are MY kids and even though that will likely make it harder for me when they are off to college and doing their own thing, I'm fine with that!

Review # 2 was written on 2008-03-31 00:00:00 Jeffrey Berezinski What is so powerful about this book is not that there is much new material here. We've all heard about how the ego keeps us chained to our judgements, fears, and desires. The difference is in how the author explains his points. Finally, we understand! Wouldn't you love it if all the stuff you've read about enlightenment suddenly became crystal clear? (I see you all nodding!) This is it. Throughout the entire book, he reiterates the same points. He does not offer 'instructions'. Here's a great example-how to let go of attachment. "Don't even try. It's impossible. Attachment to things drops away by itself when you no longer seek to find yourself in them." My copy is frilled with flags (the best Christmas present I got last year was a flag dispenser!). There is so much you'll want to remember that once you have finished it, you will find yourself picking it up at odd times and leafing through it. You'll find a page and read something, and it will resonate. Here's the author's summary: "Enjoyment of what you are doing, combined with a goal or vision that you work toward, becomes enthusiasm. Even though you have a goal, what you are doing in the present moment needs to remain the focal point of your attention; otherwise, you will fall out of alignment with universal purpose. Make sure your vision or goal is not an inflated image of yourself and therefore a concealed form of ego, such as wanting to become a movie star, a famous writer, or a wealthy entrepreneur. Also make sure your goal is not focused on having this or that, such as a mansion by the sea, your own company, or ten million dollars in the bank. An enlarged image of yourself or a vision of yourself having this or that are all static goals and therefore don't empower you. Instead, make sure your goals are dynamic, that is to say, point toward an activity that you are engaged in and through which you are connected to other human beings as well as to the whole. Instead of seeing yourself as a famous actor and writer and so on, see yourself inspiring countless people with your work and enriching their lives. Feel how that activity enriches or deepens not only your life but that of countless others. Feel yourself being an opening through which energy flows from the unmanifested Source of all life through you for the benefit of all. All this implies that your goal or vision is then already a reality within you, on the level of mind and of feeling. Enthusiasm is the power that transfers the mental blueprint into the physical dimension. That is the creative use of mind, and that is why there is no wanting involved. You cannot manifest what you want; you can only manifest what you already have. You many get what you want through hard work and stress, but that is not the way of the new earth." All I can say is read it, and watch your life change!