Review of Literature
(Exam questions are not drawn from the Review Of Literature section)
The Art Of Everyday Ecstasy (1998) delves into the spiritual path of Tantra. Margot Anand covers how to awaken ecstatic energy. This includes journeying through the chakra system and awakening each energy system. This book covers many rituals, meditations, and exercises for the reader to engage in the practice of bringing the bliss of life into everyday life.
In Real Love: The Truth About Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships (2002) Greg Baer, MD, discusses the difference between “Real Love” and “Imitation Love,” real love being the unconditional kind, and imitation love being based on the meeting of certain expectations. He talks about the psychology of conditional love, covering such areas as “getting and protecting behaviors,” “the difference between asking and expecting,” and “telling the truth about ourselves.” He gives good practical advice for those in intimate partnerships who want to shift from an experience of conditional love to one of unconditional love.
“What is your love language?” This is the question author Gary Chapman asks in his book The Five Love Languages: How To Express Heartfelt Commitment To Your Mate (1995). Gary develops the idea that there are different ways to love and feel love, and that we each have a dominant “love language” that feels the best and most satisfying to us. The five languages are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. Gary tells us that though we may think we are acting in a very loving way, our partner may not recognize the love language we are speaking, and they may yearn for us to speak in the language of love that feels most loving to them. The challenge is to discover our own love language, as well as that of our partners, and to learn to “speak each other’s language of love” in order to enjoy a more fulfilling and joyful relationship.
Deepak Chopra offers us insights into the spiritual path of relationships in his book The Path To Love (1998). Chopra describes the stages that a relationship goes through and how we can move our approach to relationships to a spiritual focus. Even though Deepak Chopra talks about the beloved as another, he says that we can be the beloved for ourselves as well. In the author’s own words, “To realize ‘I am love’ is not reserved only for those who marry. It is a universal realization, cherished in every spiritual tradition. Or to put it most simply, all relationships are ultimately a relationship with God.”
In You Can Heal Your Life (1984), Louise L. Hay gives many tools for learning to love ourselves, which she has found is at the root of all imbalances. Louise Hay speaks from a place of having moved through great healings in her own life and helping many others to do the same. This is a great book for people who feel called to healing and love.
Ellen Grace O’Brian offers spiritual wisdom in A Single Blade Of Grass (2002). This wisdom comes in the form of daily inspirations and short essays on topics such as meditation, spiritual awakening, contemplation, falling in love with your life, and selfless service. Reverend Ellen Grace O’Brian is the Spiritual Director and founding teacher of an interfaith ministry called the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (CSE) in San Jose, CA.
In Eastern Body Western Mind (1996), Anodea Judith merges psychology and the chakra system. This is a wonderful book for learning how to move through the various levels of expanding consciousness. It addresses imbalances in the chakras and places importance on developing balance in each one of the chakras, rather than some approaches to spirituality that focus only on transcendence of the physical. This book combines various types of psychology and offers many exercises in order to connect with each of the chakras.
Coming Home (1993) is a beautiful book about returning to the true self-written by Martia Nelson. Martia Nelson is a life coach, teacher, and writer. Through her experiences working with people, she has come to a clear understanding of many of the issues that can come to surface as we make the journey home, to our true self. Nelson explains the journey that we choose to take in coming into living on the earth and how this choice is made out of love. Love, Nelson says, is at the core of our being. In this book, the topics of abundance, emotions, sexuality, awakened personality, and planetary survival are all explored. Additionally, Nelson looks at how we may feel a split between what we perceive to be our spiritual and daily selves. Nelson looks at how we can bridge these seemingly distinct parts of our self into the awareness of our true self, which is never changing.
Catherine Ponder reminds us that love is the only true wealth in The Prospering Power Of Love (1983). In the tradition of Norman Vincent Peale, this Unity church minister, author and inspirational speaker teaches us about the limitless power of love to heal us, raise our consciousness, and bring more prosperity, well-being, and joy into our experience. She writes with a dynamic and refreshing voice, and offers us a timeless message.
Sanaya Roman channels the clear wisdom of her spirit teacher Orin in Soul Love: Awakening Your Heart Centers (1997). This book is about connecting deeply with your soul in order to awaken your heart centers. Through this practice you can bring your soul through into your relationships and experiences, to enjoy a deeper, more meaningful, joyful, authentic life.Orin gives us many practices we can do in order to anchor this experience of our soul’s guidance into our lives.