Marie-Claire’s Reading Room

Born to Believe
By Andrey Newberg, M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman

a Book Review by Marie-Claire Wilson
 
Andrey Newberg, MD, is an associate professor in the Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and he is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Religious studies. He is Board-certified in internal medicine, nuclear medicine, and nuclear cardiology.

Mark Robert Waldman is an associate fellow at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of nine books, and anthologies on personal relationships, dreamwork, creativity, literature, and writing.

Prayer, meditation, speaking in tongues, whirling dervishes, flying yogis: all human beings, from time immemorial have had a need to believe in something in order to survive.  The question is: WHY?  The main reason is that we must be able to tell ourselves and believe that tomorrow will be a better day.  We need hope, which springs from faith.

This book gets at the truth of hope and faith. Near the beginning, the authors write: “In the neurosciences, we strive to define our terms as accurately as possible so that, at the very least, other scientists will understand us. Unfortunately, subjective experiences such as feelings, values, and meaningfulness are difficult to define because they mean different things to different people.”

This book presents traditional approaches to belief, such as perception versus cognition and social consensus versus emotional value. The chapter that I found very interesting, “Transcendence and the Human Brain,” is about nuns, Buddhists, and the reality of spiritual beliefs.

One of the authors writes in exciting detail about brain studies on transcendence: “For many years, I have been investigating transcendent experiences like those reported by Bucke. Many religious traditions describe them, as do thousands of intelligent individuals. Over the past five years, I have had a chance to examine some of these experiences in our university there and measure neurobiologically what is happening to the brain as they occur.”

If someone has a deep conviction, whether it be legitimized by reasoning or based on an illusion from the brain, it doesn’t matter as long as the person believes it is real. The example of a person with a strong belief is contagious and attractive. But belief can go too far, leading to fanaticism.

A person can become a fanatic and try to persuade those around him to embrace his belief. Someone in power, or the process of grabbing power, whether in the religious or the political domain (or both at once), can use unusual persuasion to force people to submit to repression and tyranny through a fanatic belief.  We’ve seen this in history. We see it now in countries and religions all around the world.

Popular beliefs that take hold remind me of this old saying: “Tell me who your associates are, and I’ll tell you who YOU are” (like “birds of a feather flock together”).  Not only do our thoughts and the way we live, all contribute to our moral constitution, but we are also described by the company we keep, the environments we choose, the clubs we join, the churches of our devotion, and the people we admire who share our convictions.

It is a given that our thoughts, impressions, and way of believing form an aura around us as an individual, a kind of energetic center. So it follows that an even bigger energy center will form and emanate from a group of individuals with a similar belief. This group energy is the basis for many spiritually transcendent experiences. It can be very powerful!

From the chapter, “Creating New Spiritual Realities,” the authors write: “For most religious practitioners, meditation and prayer are designed to reinforce basic tenets and beliefs of the group; and the ongoing activity in the frontal lobes plays an essential role in maintaining and strengthening these beliefs.”

What seems certain is that we humans are hard-wired to believe something.  It is human nature to strive for the spiritual enlightenment experience, however one defines that.  The need to believe in something greater than ourselves is natural, universal, and often passionate. Belief comes from a group experience or the transcendent experience.

Readers will find techniques in this book to develop their own personal power. This study demonstrates having a strong faith is one of the best and surest allies to success.  Faith can change us from a leaf in the wind of fate to the captain of our boat, using the winds of fate to our advantage and to chart our own destiny. Faith can bring us satisfaction, enlightenment, and happiness, evolving us intellectually and morally.

“Born to Believe” traces the path to understanding in such a fascinating process, that it is guaranteed to make the reader think about the subject in a new way. I highly recommend this book to believers and non-believers alike.  There is something for everyone here.

Marie-Claire

Marie-Claire Wilson, author of The Spiritual Tarot: The Keys to The Divine Temple, is a bilingual writer and poet. She has been a practicing medium for 28 years using direct clairvoyance, the Tarot, numerology and palmistry.  Office in Washington DC.  To make an appointment for a phone reading call toll-free: 1-877-847-7330. 
 
Click here to visit my web site   www.marie-claire.tv

 
Click here to link to Oracle 20/20 where article is published. 

Find Serenity in the Midst of Routine
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

a Book Review by Marie-Claire Wilson

Dr. Stewart Bitkoff had a long daily commute in New York City-area traffic for most of his thirty-year career as a specialist in therapeutic recreation and psychiatric rehabilitation.

What is the usual reaction that we have these days when we are confronted with the myriad challenges of life and with stressful situations? We lose our cool, we get upset, and sometimes we explode… worse, we lose our spiritual balance. There’s got to be a better way to deal with life.

This little bedside book has some clear-cut remedies for these over-the-top reactions. Who wouldn’t like to be able to stay calm and clear-headed no matter what we face? Imagine that there is a wave of energy all around us that brings calm from the cosmos to our lives. This calm is a gift from the cosmos to us that makes our lives seem full of possibilities while restoring our spiritual balance.

A chapter called, “In the Moment,” was one of the parts that spoke to me personally. The author writes: “Some mornings, the monotony of the drive [to work] and the routine or working each day makes me weary. I began thinking about all my problems, and I am trapped. This is the snare of yesterday and of expectation; it is no longer living in the moment.

When I am at one with the moment, I am able to soar free. Part of my mind fixes on the routine and repetition of the drive; another part is able to sing the song of freedom. The problems of yesterday and the expectation of the day’s events are jailers. They are yesterday’s reality and not the possibility of today. They are not the moment. Only by living IN THE MOMENT can I begin to operate outside of the confines of time and space.”

That chapter summarizes a good philosophy of life. We all need to be reminded of that spark of the Divine that is within all of us. One of the best ways to do that is to be present in the moment. Easier said than done. But studies have shown enormous benefits for people who practice being present in the moment, through whatever methods they prefer to achieve it (such as through meditation). We all know of the health benefits, such as lowered blood pressure, less stress hormones, more feelings of joy etc. But there are spiritual benefits as well. When we integrate our spiritual practices into our daily lives, we can touch that depth, that strength of the Divine that is within us. We can ride that wave of calm energy that is flowing all around us any time we want.

By seeking and tapping into this “wave” of calm energy, you will see positive results in your life. This is one sure way to begin to manifest more positive effects overall. We become more positive ourselves, and this attracts more positive events and people into our circle. We will also evolve spiritually and achieve higher planes of consciousness. Whatever we think and feel, wherever we put our energies and our attention, this is what we also attract for ourselves. That’s the Universal Law of Attraction.

If we put a lot of energy into negative things or think about negative things a lot, then we will attract the negative to us. Worry falls into this category. We all know that frantic worrying serves no practical purpose, achieves no positive effect… but it does have a negative effect on our body, very obviously. It also has a negative effect emotionally and spiritually. Why worry when we can instead be present in the moment and create a more positive future?

If we are present in the moment and concentrate on what is really important, the present moment – not what has already happened, and not what might happen, but what IS – then we can live fully. We can concentrate more on the positive things that we wish to manifest for ourselves, and that aids in manifesting them. It’s the first step toward a more balanced, more positive life.

This human life is meant to be spiritual lessons that we learn, so it’s up to us to make these lessons mean more and have the desired outcome. Being present in the moment cultivates an attitude of patience, which is an essential for living well. Patience is also a great way to relieve the stress of daily life, We all know that we can get more out of our lives, but sometimes, we just aren’t sure how to begin. This book is a very good guide for that positive approach.

This is the kind of book that I consider a little treasure that I will want to reread and to keep by the bedside for evening meditation readings. Whenever I’ve had a stressful day, I think that this book will help me concentrate on the Divine principles that have helped me to channel my personal energies into the more positive energies. This is how I can remember to connect with the cosmos to that infinite light, to that infinite calm, for balance, and for peace.

Marie-Claire

Marie-Claire Wilson, author of The Spiritual Tarot: The Keys to The Divine Temple, is a bilingual writer and poet. She has been a practicing medium for 28 years using direct clairvoyance, the Tarot, numerology and palmistry. Office in Washington DC. To make an appointment for a phone reading call toll-free: 1-877-847-7330. 
 
Click here to visit my web site   www.marie-claire.tv

 
Click here to link to Oracle 20/20 where article is published.