A new and lucid introduction of New Age spirituality to practicing Muslims that will likely be of limited interest to...
A debut book attempts to combine a popular New Age principle, the law of attraction, with Islam.
Al-Ateeqi begins what is chiefly a self-help book with an account of a video that explains the law of attraction, an idea widely popularized in the cosmos of New Age spirituality. As the author observes, the notion fits neatly into a family of ideas that includes self-fulfilling prophecy, the power of suggestion, and positive visualization, all common in the literature of neuro-linguistic programming, hypnosis, and even martial arts. The key notion is the near omnipotence of the mind—everything good or bad that happens in one’s life is a function of one’s thoughts and imaginings. If someone consistently visualizes positive things, they will attract positive outcomes in life, and vice versa. Humans’ thoughts are so deeply efficacious that they can even change their bodies’ chemical compositions and heal disease. After explaining the foundation of this “secret,” the author then interprets it through “an Islamic lens,” plumbing the Quran for evidence in support of the law of attraction or against it. Al-Ateeqi goes to great pains to establish the general credibility of the Quran, which he claims has “never been incorrect since its existence.” This unusual work discovers no shortage of parallels—for example, the notion of “manifesting” described within the law of attraction is comparable to prayer. But there are also points of disagreement—the Quran denies that people can live a life free of moral judgment. Al-Ateeqi’s book is refreshingly original—while some version of Christianity is often absorbed into a New Age spiritual outlook, Islam is typically considered a counterweight to it. For those who consider the science of the law of attraction deeply suspect, though, there is nothing here that will compel a reconsideration. In addition, this is a book narrowly tailored to a very specific audience—those who accept both the law of attraction’s philosophical credibility and the authority of the Quran.
A new and lucid introduction of New Age spirituality to practicing Muslims that will likely be of limited interest to readers outside the intersection of those two worlds.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4828-8236-0
Page Count: 126
Publisher: PartridgeSingapore
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A well-written anti-abduction perspective on alien encounters that systematically examines and refutes each argument used by abduction proponents. Although Randle (UFO Crash at Roswell, not reviewed), Estes (who has interviewed scores of people who claim to have been abudcted by aliens), and psychologist Cone admit to having had alien encounters and other paranormal experiences, they conclude that every phenomenon they—ve investigated had a natural explanation. The authors first present the benign visitation accounts from the 1940s and ’50s, which evolved into single-event abductions and later into multiple-abduction accounts. They even present the case of an abductee who claims to have come from a family of abductees. Throughout the book, the authors mention news accounts, science fiction books, and movies, part of the common culture, that can account for some of the parallels among various abductee reports. Abduction researchers, some with whole chapters devoted to them, are attacked for creating stories that fit together seamlessly. Not only are these researchers tending to report only the pieces that fit their theories, but they use techniques such as hypnosis and even “the leading question method” to make the subject highly suggestible and induce memories. The book divides those who have encountered aliens into “contactees” and “abductees.” The former tell of getting a ride on the alien ship and perhaps a glimpse of the future. The latter tell of hybrid alien-human fetuses, bodily implants that appear and disappear, and the ubiquitous rectal probe. A whole chapter is devoted to the sexual components of abduction accounts, ranging from cold dispassionate reproductive experiments to sex-starved space travelers who seem to enjoy “sex for the sake of sex.” These three self-proclaimed believers have actually debunked every paranormal abduction phenomenon with a well-reasoned terrestrial explanation. (Radio satellite tour)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-312-86708-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Forge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
A better title might be “Jewish Mysticism for Dummies.” Zetter, sometime contributor to the Los Angeles Times and Jerusalem Post, summarizes Jewish mystical teachings for an audience of nonspecialists and seekers. Her first five chapters provide an adequate introduction: she walks readers through some of the key kabbalistic texts, and we also meet figures from the history of Kabbalah. Readers will become acquainted with a few central kabbalistic concepts—that God created and destroyed seven worlds before ours, that creation is ongoing, that God created the universe through ten “emanations” or “forces” (sefirot). The volume culminates in a final chapter about “practical Kabbalah.” Here, Zetter falls down. Ostensibly addressing the relevance Kabbalah has to postmoderns, the book degenerates into holistic pap: “When we exhibit lovingkindness, we heal the world because acts of lovingkindness bring unification”; “To experience a Gevurah [strength] consciousness, Kabbalists advise us to examine areas of our life that are out of balance . . . eating too much or watching too much TV . . . . Instead of eating a bag of potato chips for an evening snack, we might want to opt for something healthier.” Instead of exploring, say, the ways Jews in the Jewish Renewal movement are integrating kabbalistic teachings into their worship services, Zetter ends on a weak note: Random Acts of Kindness with a faintly Jewish flavor. (6 illustrations)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-57324-170-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
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