A WORLD WITHIN

An average man's meditation practice leads him to an intense spiritual awakening.

Although raised in a semi-religious Jewish household, Bruce never felt particularly spiritual until he underwent a midlife crisis, when he realized he lived solely for others and did little for himself. During this stressful period, the author began regularly meditating to ground himself and as a means to relax. This practice continued until one day Bruce meditated and felt a sudden, overwhelmingly blissful feeling that he had never experienced before. After meditating for longer periods and achieving the same result, Bruce began researching religious and New Age books in an attempt to discover what new power he had tapped into. Eventually Bruce identified this phenomenon as kundalini, a universal spiritual energy that "animates us as we live our lives on earth." Over time, Bruce underwent an irreversible spiritual awakening that left him with heightened empathy and awareness. Although this transformation led to some changes in his life, such as becoming a vegetarian, he maintains that the majority of his activities remained the same and that one can pursue spirituality within the constraints of normal society. Bruce offers articulate, encouraging guidelines for readers attempting the same transformation, complete with information on everything from chakras to shamanism to tips on meditation, which the author champions as a key tool to achieving awareness. Much of the advice consists of typical fare–behaving with compassion, avoiding negative media influences and releasing "ego-related" habits–but the book also touches on unusual topics such as transpersonal psychology and combining spirituality with therapy if facing depression. Readers unused to New Age philosophy may find all the talk of energy and the universe cheesy, but for the initiated, the book provides a thorough and intelligent overview of alternative spirituality, complete with a list of recommended reading.

A crash course in New Age spirituality–makes up in thoroughness what it lacks in originality.