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December, 2002
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Carol
Lee Flinders The subtitle of this book is "Rediscovering Balance, Mutuality, Intuition, and Wholeness in a Competitive World." These are what writer Carol Lee Flinders calls "Values of Belonging," as opposed to "Values of Enterprise," which include competitiveness, acquisitiveness, and ambition. Flinders defines the values of the pre-agricultural peoples, our nomadic hunter-gatherer ancestors, as being based in an ethos of mutual reciprocity: between men and women, and between humans and the natural environment. With the Agricultural Revolution, however, control over the environment (as opposed to being connected to the environment) began, and the domination of males over females became sanctioned. But Flinders goes beyond simple gender arguments. Although she links the Values of Belonging primarily with women, she notes that these are human values, the subordination of which has hurt everyone in human-and particularly Western-society. Her theory is a deeply thought-provoking one, one eminently worth reading. -Jan Suzukawa
Although the principles of New Thought have been available to us for more than a century, it seems the electronic age is destined to bring it into even greater prominence. What exactly is New Thought? The authors of this website state that New Thought is, above all, the practice of the Presence of God, but unlike conventional mysticism, it is "the practice of the Presence of God for practical purposes." In other words, God wants us to have the best of all aspects of living that are constantly offered us, and, therefore, by residing in that Presence "we are living as God wants us to live." As well as presenting further insights into the New Thought Movement and its historical background, the site offers viewers a full list of resources connected to many branches of the New Thought Movement. Entire works by James Allen, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Ernest Holmes, among others, can be downloaded. In addition, Science of Mind Minister Noel Frederick McInnis brings to viewers an excellent review of New Thought: A Practical American Spirituality, which recounts the history and contemporary practice of New Thought. -Cliff Johnson Ernest Holmes states: "There is no sin but a mistake and no punishment but a consequence." Our deeds, thoughts, and words have outcomes-whether we call them karma or consequences: a cause sets into motion a resultant effect. Everyday Karma helps you to access the wisdom within you to act in ways that bring about a desired effect. Unconditional love, says Harra, is the primary purpose of life, and as you release karma and heal wounds from the past, your capacity for unconditional love increases. In this regard, a particularly useful feature of this book is what Harra calls the "Karmic Resolution Method," a spiritual practice that involves deep breathing, meditating to evoke subconscious memories, recognizing negative patterns, designing a positive vision to replace the old behaviors or reactions, gathering powerful energy from the universe, affirming your new reality, expressing gratitude for your newfound happiness, and recording your progress in a "Karma Resolution Journal." This technique-similar in many respects to spiritual mind treatment-provides an effective means of self-renewal and transformation, not only of your own life but also of humanity. This is a book that inspires action and offers hope. -Kathy Juline
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