A book with some engaging ideas for those familiar with New Thought.
Iam delivers an impassioned sermon on the universe as a limited but manipulatable construct, manifested by mental energy and commanded by conscious perception.
The familiar Law of Attraction offers to its believers the ability to manifest realities they wish to experience, but according to the author of this book, too many self-styled gurus have an “imperfect” understanding of the concept, the universe, and the self. In this modern New Thought text, the physical world is said to be only “smoke and mirrors”—the creation of a divine, self-aware intelligence called God, but which is, in fact, the individual. It’s also all other individuals, Iam says, as the intelligence experiences itself in countless ways. By accepting the notion of the mind being the only reality, one may command mental energy to control material perceptions, asserts Iam. With proper thinking, he writes, one may wake up from these perceptions and bring a form of “Heaven” to themselves. The author introduces these ideas in a circuitous fashion, but the simple quote “The All Is Mind; The Universe Is Mental” may be used as a useful shorthand; it comes directly from The Kybalion by Three Initiates, a text of Hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. Iam enthusiastically presents his ideas in a manner that recalls a college lecture or a religious sermon, complete with references to such historical figures and quotes from the Bible, as well as awkward encouragement to buy the author’s other books. Readers familiar with New Thought will be onboard, but those new to the material may feel that the material is too dense. The book contains little introduction to the philosophy’s history and almost no background on The Kybalion, despite its outsized importance in the text. The book is short, and though it’s not always concise, its sections are clearly marked, and its use of repetition may make it easy to revisit; it also suggests it’s not a book to read in a single sitting, but rather a collection to reflect upon at length.
A book with some engaging ideas for those familiar with New Thought.Pub Date: March 29, 2024
ISBN: 9798320956749
Page Count: 36
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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