However reluctantly, I did promise to give it a 'once-over' for my friend who knows that I enjoy a 'good' self-help read (such as "Messie No More" which really did help me to clean up my act.)

As expected, I found the writing very amateurish, consisting of a feigned intensive conversation between the author and a man suffering from 'failed relationships syndrome.' Much of it seems to be bits & pieces of standard self-help information, just re-packaged for the vocabulary & attention span challenged. My only real disagrement arose over the author's insistence that we are created for a world of love. He presents this as a simple fact that just is - no justification necessary. But who's perfect? I decided to just ignore this & get to the worksheets that were promised to change my life.

So you can imagine my surprise when they actually did!!! Well, perhaps not my whole life, but certainly my thinking about some issues that had been bothering me for a long, long time. That is all I can tell you about this book, except that I am now ordering my own copy!

There is a real message in the book that I believe Redfield happened to stumble upon by accident, or perhaps he heard of true spiritual accounts and tried to immitate them in this book. Keep your wits about you, and be discerning. He should have left these lessons to be taught by those who have had these experiences, or to a real author, who would have put the information across much, much more effectively.

As I said before, find the truth in the book, because it is worth the few bucks, but do it only if you are able to ignore the money-making scheme of it.

Sales show that a lot of the sensationalism which surrounded Celestine faded with Redfield's consecutive books. Some of this is just the nature of trends: anyone who has such monumental success with their first publication has little chance of producing a sequel that achieves the same results. On the other hand, there are some factors that could account for this decline in popularity.

In his second book, The Tenth Insight, Redfield compromised part of his original formula by introducing themes like reincarnation and animal omens--subjects that departed from the religious middle ground which initially let many people stay open to his theories. He also told his readers that human beings have abilities which are a good stretch further away from Pop Mysticism than communing with nature or perceiving auras. His third book, The Celestine Vision, was nonfiction, and discussed progressions in science and social thought that Redfield believes are precursors to a major revolution in global consciousness; it did well enough, but didn't come near to his early success.

With the release of The Secret of Shambhala, Redfield returned to the ongoing fictional storyline, continuing where The Tenth Insight left off. In this book, he posits that the energy generated by our thoughts and emotions actually goes out into the world as a force that he calls 'prayer,' and influences both outer events and the awareness of the people with whom we interact. I found his theories (which are embedded in the text as elaborate monologues followed by scenarios which illustrate them) to be as applicable to my own experiences as any other book in the series. The concepts were more advanced--and therefore, more challenging--than those in Celestine. This has probably contributed to its (relatively) low sales up to this point.

By the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, The Celestine Prophecy, this book will appeal to a great many readers. It is fiction, although many readers will see it as "based on fact." How they will view the book rather depends upon the reader's own belief system.

Redfield has obviously used the book as a vehicle to expose his own philosophy, in much the same way as Ayn Rand used Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, but of course their philosophies are different. In fact, one could almost say that they are diametrically opposed to each other. Where Rand was a rationalist, Redfield is, well. . .

To best describe Redfield's premise, and the theme of the story, perhaps it would be best to describe the readers who will most enjoy the book: those who will exclaim over its probity and the integrity--nay, saintliness--of the author:

They will look you in the eye fiercely and argue against adding fluorides to water, genetic manipulation of, or adding "chemicals" to, food; or eating "dead" food. They will be vegetarians. They will be certain that large corporations are evil, and that "materialism" is the bane of human existence. They will be persuaded of the positive power of love, and convinced that anger, the lust for power over others, and violence are the ultimate destroyers of civilization.

These are the people who will most enjoy this book, because Redfield is a champion for all of those causes.

The "secret" of Shambhala (Shangri-La) is the "Power of Prayer." That becomes obvious at once. But, prayer is not simply wishing, or hoping, or idly asking God for a boon. It is a strong expectation. It is the belief that something good (or bad) will happen. This is the force by which we shape our world, with the help of angels, according to James Redfield's protagonist, whose name is never given. The book is written in the first person. He and his alter-ego, Wilson James--who suddenly appears in the story without explanation, with cryptic allusions to other adventures (and insights) of which the reader is assumed to be aware--go to Tibet where the protagonist (and the reader) hope to discover their reason for going to Tibet.

In Tibet, their spiritual quest leads them into conflict with the all-powerful atheists of the Chinese government, who shamelessly apply force and violence to thwart them and fan their paranoia, which, of course, weakens their spiritual strength.

No plausible reason for this persecution is given, except the intense curiosity of the Chinese government, which apparently already knows more about the quest than does our hero, anyway. Getting funding for the operation must have been a chore for their intelligence service.

In all candor, the book held me to the end. I read it in one sitting. (Although there are 238 pages, the type is large and spaced out, so it reads quickly--particularly if you skip over the sermons lightly.) The plot is airy-fairy, and the conflict is too improbable to engage your total attention. Yet, read it I did. As in all good fiction, there is enough of a germ of truth in the underlying premise to make it, if not plausible, at least entertaining. Do I recommend it? Sure! Why not?

You can take the material further here and you can really study the Celestine Prophecy with this book!

Its worth buying and then looking up all the neat things that James Redfield is talking about.

Great for beginning seekers who want an adventure to discover truth.

Very good primer for philsophy and psychology students alike!

Redfield artfully & articulately spins an intriguing & captivating "yarn" that originates with the disappearance of an ancient Peruvian manuscript that very few Westerners know of it's existence, yet a fearful government wants to suppress it (which we typically hear stories of this type of happenings in today's times). This manuscript is comprised of nine "insights" that for me personally, turn out to bear an uncanny accuracy of what "I" believe is actually occurring in today's society where we watch religous denominations put one another down & witness hypocrisy at it's finest! We are now living in an era of true spiritual restlessness, an awakening (ironically, like being described in the fictional manuscripts which are based on the simplest of theories, coincidence,intuition, synchronicity. In my opinion,this fictional theory has the potential to make as much sense as the Bible or any other religious philosophy. In any event, it makes for an awesome adventure & when the dust settles at the end of each book, it leaves the reader spiritually provoked by profound questions of thought!

*Here's a synopsis of 9 of the "insights content," but as the titles reveal, they go on to discover 2 more (insights).

#1.) Feeling restless? You're not alone: Everybody's starting to look for more meaning in life. Start paying closer attention to those seemingly "Chance Coincidences" - strange occurrences that feel like they were meant to happen. They are actually synchronistic events, and following them will start you on your path to spiritual truth.

#2.) Observe our culture within its proper historical context. The first half of the past millennium was spent under the thumb of the church; in the second half we became preoccupied with material comfort. Now, at the end of the twentieth century, we've exhausted that preoccupation. We're ready to discover life's ultimate purpose.

#3.) Start to get acquainted with the subtle energy that infuses all things. With practice, you can learn to see the aura around any living being and to project your own energy around it to give it strength.

#4.) An unconscious competition for energy underlies all conflicts. By dominating or manipulating others, we get the extra energy we think we need. Sure, it feels good - but both parties are damaged in the conflict.

#5.) The key to overcoming conflict in the world is the mystical experience, which is available to everyone. To nurture the mystical and build your energy, allow yourself to be filled with a sense of love.

#6.) Childhood traumas block our ability to fully experience the mystical. All humans, because of their upbringing, tend toward one of four "control dramas": Intimidators steal energy from others by threat. Interrogators steal it by judging and questioning. Aloof people attract attention (and energy) to themselves by playing coy. And Poor me's make us feel guilty and responsible for them. Become aware of the family dynamics that created your control drama and you can focus on your essential question, which is how to make of your life a higher- level synthesis of your parents' lives.

#7.) Once cleared of traumas, you can build energy through contemplation and meditation, focus on you basic life question, and start riding a steady stream of intuitions, dreams, and synchronistic coincidences, all guiding you in the direction of your own evolution and transformation.

#8.) That evolution can't be done alone, so begin to practice the new "Interpersonal Ethic" by uplifting those who cross your path. Talk to people who make spontaneous eye contact with you. Avoid codependent relationships. Be there for people. Call attention to other people's control dramas. In groups, speak when the spirit (instead of the ego) moves you.

#9.) Our purpose here is to evolve beyond this plane. Fewer people (a result of reproductive abstinence) and more old-growth forests will help us to sustain our energy and accelerate our evolution. Technology will do most of our work for us. As we begin to value spiritual insight more and more, we will pay those who ..