Discover the Gift by S. Aziz and D. Lichtenstein

Discover the Gift. It's Why We're Here is co-authored by Shajen Joy Aziz and Demian Lichtenstein, who are a brother and sister.

I borrowed this book from the local library. After getting it home and starting to read the book, I was glad I hadn't shelled out any of my own cash for it.

It appears that the spin-offs and knock-offs of The Power and The Secret are continuing to be churned out, judging by this book. The similarities throughout are hard to miss. First of all, the presentation. This book is printed on smooth, heavy stock paper (recycled content of any kind, I doubt!) and with bright blue text and glossy photo page additions. So much for honoring Mother Earth!  That kind of (or lack of) regard for the environment does counts these days. And in this case of this book, against. And it certainly does brings to mind the glitzy presentation of The Secret and The Power. (click to read that book review).

Then there are the celebrity quotes sprinkled liberally throughout. Some of these quotes had some merit but again, filling pages with the thoughts and opinions of other people, is that really authoring a book?

I found the brother/sister tale that they had to tell, rather strange to say the least. All about resentments and sibling bickering that in later years magically transformed into peace, love and harmony when the two patched things up and started working together on this book, other projects and I'm guessing making a fair bit of cash for their efforts along the way.

                        

So many things didn't ring true, reading through their personal stories. Parents and family members portrayed as such loving, caring individuals and then a bit further along leaving both of the authors (as children) in need of security and love. It got to be all a bit too much to waste my time on but again, the lack of consistency is what came through.

So what in a nutshell is The Gift suppose to be for the rest of us? Here are some quotes from the book by way of example:

"If you take away every thing and you are left with no thing,then what is possible? Anything."

"Unity consciousness. It's a quantum physics concept reflecting the idea that we are all just part of a unified field of energy. Put more spiritually, we are all part of a divine essence, and once we realize this we are one step closer to discovering our Gift and sharing it with the world."

"To release the shackles around my heart and unchain the extraordinary miracle of my existence, I had to be open to the possibility of experiencing my life as a Gift."

Oops sorry, nodding off again......Enough said. And on and on and on....A lot of double-speak that's been rehashed and re-written, again and again.

I don't know who is taken in by this kind of self-help book. I think it's sad to realize that so many people still are. As I said at the beginning of this review, I'm glad I only borrowed this one from the library. It's going back on the shelf very soon.

Overall rating for this book: Bad. 0 out of 5.

The Secret:The Power by Rhonda Byrne

I recently read The Secret and also The Power by Rhonda Byrne. What struck me after reading both of these books is that Ms. Byrne has simply taken timeless wisdom, quotes, beliefs...that have been around for centuries, thanks to prophets,teachers,inventors,artists... and ended up making a bundle of money for herself by packaging this information in two beautifully presented books.

On the plus side, I think there is a lot to learn in the pages of these books. Yes, we have the power to attract goodness into our lives (to a point). Yes, love is (usually) the answer. Yes, we can manifest many things that do come true (but not always). Yes, being positive and putting a positive spin on life is helpful, supportive and can change a bad day into a good one (sometimes).

What I really object to is the implications throughout both of these books that everything that comes into our lives is due to our own "law of attraction". That we manifest bad things that happen, through our own thoughts and actions. As many reviewers over at Amazon expressed and I totally agree, this kind of "doctrine" is a slap in the face to every innocent person who has been the victim of crime, abuse,neglect...and that's just wrong.

In terms of manifesting, it appears that Rhonda Byrne has been doing some rather negative manifesting in her own life, based on the court battles and controversies she has been embroiled in. Check out this article at the Huffington Press for more about this. This is just one of many online about where Ms. Byrne has headed in her own life, after the publications of these books and the release of The Secret movie. Sadly it appears that greed has once again reared it's ugly head.

There are good lessons to be learned in both of these books but they are the eternal messages that have been written about again and again, in other books and since the beginning of time. The Golden Rule still applies. Love can and still does transform lives, there is power in Positive Thinking, Knock and the Door Shall be Opened, Seek and Ye Shall Find....and many, many more.


If nothing else, maybe Rhonda Byrne has at least reminded many of us to heed these truths and to think about them, once again. And how they can impact our lives every day, in significant ways. And for me, that's been the good result of reading these books. Her work is flawed but still has some merit.

Overall rating for this book: Fair. 2 out of 5.