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December 19, 1999 - Three Books For Winter Reading
After the holiday hoopla has settled to a dull roar, what better way to start the new secular year than to read an inspiring book or two or three when "the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside's delightful"? Whether or not snow descends upon our local environment, this time of year is conducive to reflection and contemplation on a practical as well as inspirational level. Fortunately, three new books have recently appeared on the shelves of local bookstores that fit this need perfectly.
No matter what our life orientation may be, all of us are influenced by the corporate structure of this country in one way or another. We all have to work everyday in some way to sustain our lives; as such, we are all engaged in the business of doing business which can sometimes seem hum-drum and even lead to existential exhaustion and burn-out, especially in the aftermath of the holidays. Is it possible to rekindle the fires of enthusiasm when we return to work? If the current position we hold is no longer satisfying, is there a way out?
Marc Allen, in his book
Visionary Business
answers these and many more questions with an emphatic YES! Subtitled " An Entrepreneur's Guide to Success", this tome is "a fictionalized account of a true story" which contains precious practical gems that can be implemented almost instantly in our daily working lives, no matter what our position in the work place. Marc co-founded New World Library 20 years ago "and guided the company from a small start-up operation with no capital to a major contributor in the publishing world". Written in a first person style reminiscent of The Celestine Prophesy, the struggling main character in the book encounters an older gentleman named Bernie who gives him twelve keys to success. Each Chapter ends with the essential elements of these keys, so this novel also functions as a valuable handbook in the context of a light fiction format. In complementary contrast, the most recent offering by Lynn V. Andrews is non-fiction, unlike the series she is well known for. In
Love and Power
Awakening to Mastery
Lynn integrates the spiritual teachings she has culled from indigenous cultures throughout the world and, citing case studies, shows how to make these principles work in a practical way. This book is particularly worthwhile for women who are struggling with the issue of maintaining a comfortable home, having meaningful relationships and being successful in the external world. While so often most of us feel that we need to make a choice between passionate love and personal power, Lynn artfully guides us to a place where integration of these apparently conflicting drives is possible, particularly during these confusing times when everything that we used to count on for security seems to be in radical flux.
Finally, my own choice for the season is an exquisitely designed compilation of 23 essays written by the foremost visionary thinkers living today.
Solstice Shift
Magical Blend's Synergistic Guide to the Coming Age
is a book to be read slowly and savored. Each essay provokes contemplation from astonishingly different points of view yet woven together comprise a cohesiveness of thought rarely found these days. The photographs throughout the book are provocative works of art that deeply enhanced my experience of this book, which I highly recommend.
© Kristina Strom
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