Analysis of The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield tells the story of a man who tries to learn and understand the nine key insights into life itself in an ancient manuscript that has been discovered in Peru. It predicts a massive spiritual transformation of society in the late twentieth century. We will finally grasp the secrets of the universe, the mysteries of existence, and the meaning of life. The real meaning and purpose of life will not be found in religion or in material wealth, but rather in things like auras. He comes across the insights in numerical order since that is how one must understand them. Overcoming an initial skepticism, the narrator's understanding grows with each insight. They include the following: 1. A Critical Mass. 2. The Longer Now. 3. A Matter of Energy. 4. The Struggle for Power. 5. The Message of the Mystics. 6. Clearing the Past. 7. Engaging the Flow. 8. The Interpersonal Ethic. 9. The Emerging Culture.
In the first 15 pages, while the plot is still forming, at least eight basic ideas are introduced: a spiritual awakening is occurring in the world (p.4); humanity is evolving into a higher spiritual consciousness (p.4); seek the experiential (p.5); coincidences have spiritual significance (synchronicity) (p.6); the knowledge contained in the manuscript's insights has been hidden from most of the world (esoteric, secret knowledge) (p.8); anti-Christian attitudes (p.9); discover truth through experience (p.10); and when the student is ready, the teacher appears (p.15). These ideas are not always expressed in so many words, but their principles are. For example, the basis of the story is that the spiritual insights humanity needs are hidden in an ancient document, and must be uncovered if mankind is to advance spiritually. Not everyone, according to the story, is ready for or able to comprehend these teachings. The insights are for those spiritually ripe, the spiritual elite. The book implies that in time others will accept these ideas but for now the more advanced must lead until a critical mass of people have grasped the insights.
The first two insights are that coincidences have a deep significance and that this decision-making should guide an individual. Later insights build on this, teaching the narrator that he should be guided by daydreams, intuitions and thoughts that ma...
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... over several years time. Crossroads encountered several times in one day in The Celestine Prophecy probably happen over a much longer period to someone finding one's self. I enjoyed and was intrigued by the control dramas analogy that was presented in The Celestine Prophecy. They sure seemed to enhance understanding on the issue. Also this spiritual enlightenment story portrayed to me that healing to an awareness of our inner light can move right along when we are not encumbered by blame and guilt. There was no judgment implied as to which choices that one makes, it seemed to be simply a matter of preference if one chose to liberate or not. Acceptance of whatever is flows through the entire book. Naturally we would come to choose healing, and naturally we would tolerate those not ready to do so yet. But what blew me away is how blatantly and clearly the writing conveyed how the fearful phenomenon of dysfunctional codependency plays itself out--people attempting to live on each other's energy in lieu of tapping their own inner power. This can be seen in the scene where they seen the energies exchange between some people. All and all I enjoyed reading this novel by James Redfield.
life, and in it he attempts to explain that which has evaded and mystified even
Sullivan, Barbara. "Introduction to The Awakening." In The Awakening, ed. Barbara Sullivan. New York: Signet, 1976.
In his Allegory Plato shows us how a man ascends from the darkness of a cave to the light of the outside world. In this ascent Plato’s man passes through four distinct stages of cognition: from imagination, to belief, understanding, and finally knowledge.
She moves through all eighteen chapters by dissecting the meaning of all twelve truths labeled as “Healing Truth”. The first truth tells the reader that if God allows pain it is because there is a purpose for it. A purpose that will work out for good. The chapters are arranged in a way that the reader understands why God works the way that he does even if it does not make sense. She also chose to include how some people burden themselves with pain they themselves can bring to a halt. After all the soul searching she encourages the book ends on the twelfth Healing Truth. The twelfth of the truths explains to the reader how the only way to heal is if the “healing begins at the cross” for it is “the greatest expression of God’s love”. The writing is set up so simple and easy to understand. It is very difficult to get lost reading her book.
Since the first storytellers, religion has played an important part in developing both character and plot. From Ancient Greece to Egypt to Judaism to Christianity, the basic stories of human origins have stood the test of time. Classic books such as The Great Gatsby, The Stranger, and Lord of the Flies are full of religious parallels and imagery. Conceptually, main characters of each work--Gatsby, The Stranger’s Meursault, and Lord of the Flies’ schoolboys attempt to be Christ-like figures, but whose demise is ironically brought about by their own sins.
This has been a neccessarily brief and incomplete account. I have not mentioned Rabelais, the Rosicrucians, the decadent poets, Nietzsche, de Sade, Levi, Gurdjieff, James, Augustine, Shakespeare, Masonry, Paine, American utopian communities, Jung, Merlin, art and spirit, or Gnosticism, all of which are vital elements of the story; I have given short shrift to the psychical movement and its influence on nineteenth and twentieth century
In the recent past a lot of books have been written with the religious perspective in mind and the purpose for that has been that the people have been drifting away from the faith and those who have the know how about the thing feel that is it part of their duty to bring the people back to their faith. So it is the process of making the people realize that there is something wrong with their way of life and although it has not been an easy task but many have been trying and most of them have had a history on the related field. One of the best books on the chosen topic may be that of Salvation by Earl D. Radmacher which was also helped on in the editing by the famous Charles R. Swindoll. The message in the book is simple and it is just like the drum on which the God has been beating hard enough for a very long time. They have just tried to repeat what has been said a million times already but in a very unique and a different manner. They seem efficient and they have a certain touch to their approach. They are not willing to let go while at the same time they know what their goal is and it is the way of writing, which would make the reader sit through it all and they would read the book till they finish it. So it is a religious as well as spiritual work but done in the modern day language and it is not a tale but a complete story of what we may have wanted to hear for a very long time. People should be more worried about the after life because that is the eternal life and we have to be worried about the things that would last forever. We should be doing things that will work for our salvation in the after life because there will be no worldly things to support us. We need to be on the move and we need to make sure that we are righ...
The following book of Peter Kreeft’s work, The Journey, will include a summary along with mine and the authors’ critique. As you read the book it is a very pleasant, symbolic story of always-existing wisdom as you go along the pathway of what knowledge really is. It talks about Socrates, someone who thinks a lot about how people think, from Athens, is a huge part in this book. This book is like a roadmap for modern travelers walking the very old pathway in search of reality. It will not only show us the pathway they took, but the pathway that we should take as well.
Imagery returns once more, allowing the reader to sense the nerves that were beginning to affect the narrator; preparing them for a suspenseful turning point. The turning point that follows had been the revelation of the narrator’s thoughts about stealing the book- which may have been why she must’ve lost her doubts prior. The narrator could not bring herself to steal the book, but was not ready to forget her special moment; looking to the book for an
“The Allegory of the Cave”, written by Plato, is a story that presents prisoners who are trapped in a cave and only able to see what is in front of them. There is a fire burning in a distance, and they can only see images in shadows coming from the fire. Since they are trapped in this cave, they believe that the shadows are real, and not just reflections of what really is. The tale goes on to say that one prisoner escaped, and talks about his first perception of the world. In the “Allegory of the Cave”, Plato uses the prisoners in the cave as a metaphor, or an allegory to express ideas about knowledge and enlightenment. Plato’s main purpose for writing the “Allegory of the Cave” is to inform his readers that it is in human nature to believe
Two such authors, searching for…well, searching for that certain enlightenment and repose that can only be found in nature, were Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac. And despite the fact that Big Sur, California, is the chosen destination for revelation for both authors and that both authors are torn between the introspective qualities of being ‘secluded,’ and the desire for connectedness to society, they were from (moderately) different lifestyles and backgrounds and viewed the revelations that nature bestowed to them individually quite differently. By contrasting the situations and temperaments of the two authors, one can begin to see why their experiences differed so greatly.
I think of the mountain called ‘White Rocks Lie Above In a Compact Cluster’ as it were my own grandmother. I recall stories of how it once was at that mountain. The stories told to me were like arrows. Elsewhere, hearing that mountains name, I see it. Its name is like a picture. Stories go to work on you like arrows. Stories make you live right. Stories make you replace yourself. (38)
The novel Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson has many themes that present themselves throughout the book. One such recurring theme is a search for truth. The characters in the book do not fully realize that they are searching for truth, but they do feel a vague, "indescribable thing" that pushes and prods their minds to actualize a higher plane of thought. This search for a higher plane by the characters of Winesburg nearly parallels another literary work of ancient Greek origin- Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," which is a portion of his famous writing "The Republic." I contend that the town of Winesburg is the equivalent of the Cave in Plato's writing.
Is it possible for human beings to rise above the sensory interpretation about the world and become an intellectual? Both Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” and René Descartes’ “Cogito, Ergo Sum” examine this issue, and come to the conclusion that it is possible, and from this ascent, to become certain and rational. For each author, though, this is accomplished in different ways. Plato’s allegory points out that we need to look beyond the surface of the knowledge we learn and let the idea of good be our basis in life. Descartes expresses that we need to eliminate doubt in order for us to know certainty and feel comfortable in our knowledge.
In the absence of similar works "in the canon" it is hard not to feel as though, (as the character Ishmael promised), if you accept their premises you are doomed to isolation for, those who see the future most clearly are usually outcasts, lost as to what power they may have to change minds and directions.