A friend recently recommended I consider these books, and the Spirit prompted me to obtain and read each one of them.
The first was David Hawkins', Power vs Force, The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior. Very enlightening. Yes, that is humor. The book is about achieving enlightenment.
I recently heard about and experienced "energy" and have wanted to learn more. My friend said this was a great place to start, and it was.
The Map of Consciousness was very intriguing. The concept that "Power" (from energy) will always prevail over "Force" made sense and reminded me of my posts about Power and Authority.
The Hawkins book made a case that power "is" while force must be applied. It also said "love" is a high, positive form of energy, and "shame" manifests as very low, negative energy -- close to death. Perhaps that is why those in states of "guilt" and shame are at risk of ending their own lives, whereas the Apostle Paul proclaimed "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8).
The book also discussed a form of "truth test" that apparently works without regard to people's beliefs or even who does it, provided they do it correctly. It reminded me of the Urim and Thummim Yahweh prescribed through Moses for the Israelite Priest (Aaron, Moses' brother) to use for making decisions. That became known as "casting lots" and was used by many Israelites, not just the Priest, up until the time the Holy Spirit was given. There was a brief period in my life where I personally found casting lots to be quite effective, until a pastor pointed out we do not need the method anymore because the Holy Spirit testifies about all Truth directly to our own spirits, provided we have Him and are listening to Him.
Hawkins described his personal experiences of encountering states of enlightenment and his views seemed to line up with some of what I have observed in my own life.
I recently learned I crave transformation, and in order to do that I must learn from others about their experiences in the world so I can compare them to mine and discern Truth.
The second book was Clint Rogers' Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer, A Western Skeptic, An Eastern Master, And Life's Greatest Secrets. It was written as a true, autobiographical story of a PhD university researcher's encounter with a man who knew how to heal people from the inside out using wisdom and techniques thousands of years old. Reading the book was a walk next to a fellow skeptic as he encountered what seemed to be impossibilities to those of us who were brought up in western culture. As he tried to make sense of how touching parts of someone's body six (6) times could result in healing, I found myself comparing it to my experiences of laying hands on people and seeing them instantly healed. My constant question throughout the book was, "How does this line up with the Bible?"
It does. Jesus told people if they have faith they will be able to do anything. I have been learning that is true. The people described in Rogers' book had faith in the methods presented by the ancient healers and their faith made them well. This is a true fact of the created universe but these things are secrets because people do not believe.
The ancient secrets also include a lot of wisdom about treating our bodies properly and avoiding destructive behaviors. I have been applying similar wisdom, such as my morning walks without wearing glasses and traveling around by walking, like Jesus did.
I think I need to stop eating popcorn before bed, which is what I believe led to my dad's cancer. He used to eat a lot of it and his illness appeared within a few years of the new practice of industrially harvesting corn by killing it with glyphosate ("Roundup") to make it easy to desiccate and harvest. He suffered from Lymphoma.
Getting back to the book, it is very sad and suspicious that a very healthy man who was famous for using ancient secrets to heal people collapsed from an apparent heart attack while he was by himself in a Mumbai airport on February 19, 2020, ... right before the so-called "pandemic" was forced upon the world. I believe he was eliminated; the timing was too coincidental.
I have yet to open the other two books, but they are next. I plan to start with the autobiography. I feel a craving to learn about eastern culture because I sense a calling to eventually go there. God knows what gets my attention. Boy, does He ever!
I plan to update this post after further reading.
All glory to God.
UPDATE, August 27, 2025...
I just finished reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, book #3.
I never would have even thought about acquiring this book if it had not been for her.
I consumed it urgently because I desired to know the kinds of things she has been taught.
These were some of my blog posts that came to mind as I studied the book...
- Who Is It?, August, 2016.
- Owner's Manual, August, 2016.
- Eyes, November, 2016.
- It's Your Move, October, 2016.
Readers can find those posts in the "BLOG ARCHIVE" on the right side of the web version of this blog.
UPDATE, Labor Day, September 1, 2025...
People enjoy experiencing the physical pleasures of Creation.
Some have learned there is more to Creation than just what can be physically perceived, as the books in this reading assignment explore.
The Bible acknowledges all of this. For example, Jesus came and went inexplicably in the presence of his apprentices, Philip disappeared and showed up someplace else, and Paul boasted about visions and revelations. These things are common, as many people around the world have discovered in their own ways. "Enlightenment" is simply becoming aware of what is around us.
But enlightenment does nothing to deal with our sin problem.
When we sin against someone the only way to deal with it is to repent.
Without repentance there is no forgiveness.
The Bible tells us how to be freed from our sins...
- Good God, April, 2021.
- Apprentice of Jesus, May, 2018.
I truly and lovingly forgive you. Please come home.
