Spirit of Change
Magazine - Holistic New England
Fall/Winter
2018 Book Reviews
BY GAIL LORD
http://www.spiritofchange.org/Fall-2018/Fall-Winter-2018-Book-Reviews/
Albert Amao Soria: TarcherPerigee,
New York, NY 2018
Self-help
is an eleven-billion dollar industry. What a task it is to sift through the
plethora of books and programs in trying discern what’s helpful. Sociologist
Albert Amao Soria is sympathetic to the needs of the dedicated self-help seeker
as he himself is one. In Awaken the Power Within, he brings his experience as a
student of the mystical, metaphysical and occult to evaluate both esoteric and
conventional self-help. Authentic self-help is actually just listening to the
guidance of the inner voice of the higher self. Some of the most helpful and
effective self-help practices come from traditional esoteric thought. Many of
these old teachings are repackaged and commercialized to gain profit; still
other programs make false and overreaching claims, and Soria’s names them. He
tells of his disillusionment following the hype of the video “The Secret,”
which he watched in someone’s home, paying seven dollars admission, along with
twenty others eager to learn the newly discovered secret occult knowledge that
even Oprah promoted with fanfare. But there was nothing new; the secret was
simply The Law of Attraction, a concept that’s been part of the American New
Thought philosophy for over a century, and one that was widely disseminated by
Esther and Jerry Hicks through the nonphysical being Abraham. Further, “The
Secret’s” Law of Attraction manifests nothing unless it’s combined with the Law
of Deliberate Creation and the Law of Allowing.
Amao’s is
also critical of the work of Eckhart Tolle, having attended a weekend workshop
knowing nothing about Tolle beforehand and finding the workshop both simplistic
and boring. In addition, Tolle’s talks and writings completely dismiss the
power of the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind can be our greatest
healer, both physically and mentally, yet it also allows pseudo-gurus to
convince people they lack the power to change unless they purchase solutions in
the form of books and seminars. The subconscious mind uses deductive reasoning,
so what we say we want needs to be in congruence with our actions and beliefs.
If a person wants health but doesn’t eat healthy food or exercise or breathe
properly, that person is instilling negative suggestions into the subconscious
mind. The subconscious mind takes its conclusion from whatever premise we give
it. This is how placebos work, through the powerful subconscious. When people
believe medicine will heal them, even if they receive a placebo, it’s the
belief in the healing that cures them. Almost all people credit something or
someone else when they are healed. Robert Park, a university physics professor
points out, “We recover from most of the injuries and illnesses that afflict us
without either prayers or medicine. Like all animals, we have built-in repair
mechanisms… Modern medicine can often intervene to assist nature in the healing
process. But if the patient then recovers, how do we know the medicine was
responsible?” Medicine, placebo, prayers, miraculous or spontaneous recovery?
As Dr. Bernie Siegel says, “All healing is self-induced.”
About the Author:
Albert Amao Soria is a sociologist, social theorist and cultural critic. An
independent researcher – a life-long student of metaphysics and philosophy;
with over 30 years’ experience in comparative religion, psychology, and
mysticism with emphasis on Western spiritual traditions. Mr. Amao is the author
of several books including, Awaken
the Power Within (Perigee/Tarcher, 2018); Healing
without Medicine (Quest Books, 2014); and The
Dawning of the Golden Age of Aquarius (AuthorHouse, 2012). He is available
for lectures upon request. Mr. Amao can be contacted by email at Stgermain777@gmail.com. For further information, visit the
websites: http://www.amazon.com/author/amao
and www.albertamao.com
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