Joncheere’s debut work, a manual on how to “transform consciousness,” explores managing unruly thoughts and finding real happiness in one’s “Self.”
The author develops a five-step explanation about how to escape the distractions of life and learn to live in a happier frame of mind. She also explores metaphorical and allegorical concepts of material and emotional distractions. Joncheere leads the reader through her own experiences and examples of transformation, covering a variety of topics, from domestic violence and divorce to luxury and money, but “money doesn’t exist,” she says, only the “Self.” Her philosophy suggests returning to a state of innocence by reducing “our thinking to pure consciousness, to pure light…the center of our Being.” The conversational style makes this book an easy read, but the meandering concepts can cause confusion, e.g., the author explains that “our egos are incredibly stupid,” and we have spent our time simply “polishing crusts” so that the end result is the person we become is nothing “but scabs,” but “those crusts…will become more beautiful…all by themselves…[through] the logic of Life…Nothing is simpler.” The guide attempts to engage the reader by encouraging interaction and reflection during the reading, but it glosses over existing philosophies and uses ambiguous metaphors that cloud a rather simple message. When the book begins to develop an extended metaphor for one idea, it then quickly jumps topic and throws the reader from a “ghost” of “haunting thoughts” to a “pearl of light” covered by a “crusty ego.” In all of this lies the idea that many of our unproductive thoughts rob us of our erstwhile purity, and we should return to that purer state. This concept, however, leaves a lot of room for reader interpretation and seems to suggest an abandonment of conscience. The overarching philosophy appears not only to free one from entrapping thoughts, but responsibility and culpability as well.
Underdeveloped ideas that may serve as interesting conversation starters.
