Journey Without Distance by Robert Skutch

If there's one defining book that marks my adult life, it could very well be this one. Written by Robert Skutch who related a tale of astounding spiritual adventure that changed not only his life but all the lives of those people who came into contact with A Course In Miracles.

ACIM or A Course In Miracles is about an atheist who also happened to be a woman scientist who reluctantly agreed to allow another person to pen her "thoughts" in order to achieve peace of mind.

From that spiritual exploration that saw the participation of Skutch in that seven-year journey was born this book, Journey Without Distance. It traces the path through which Helen Schucman took to unveil the "course" that will change a reader's life if he so agrees to its principles.

This book will shed light on the struggle that those concerned undertook to bring ACIM to reality. Those who now subscribe to ACIM principles will be pleased to know that Journey Without Distance opens another window in their lives.

Although, you won't really need it to practise ACIM but to know the paths trodden by others to that final destination can be so enjoyable.

Today ACIM is well into 1.5 million copies and it continues to grow across the world.

Journey Without Distance is best expressed in the words of its author:

"The journey without distance is merely the awakening of the knowledge of who we are always and where we are forever. It is a journey without distance to a goal that has never changed."

Read it, enjoy and be enlightened.

Thoughts from Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukov

I have read Seat of the Soul years ago and have forgotten its teachings due to the vicissitudes of life that flow through each of our lives.

Recently, I came upon an old copy of Thoughts From Seat of the Soul. An inner urging prompted me to pick up the book and browsed through it.

On every page is a sentence or several sentences. They contain the essence of the core treatise, Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukov. I guess I share many of Zukov's personal beliefs.

Thoughts From Seat of the Soul rekindled those deeply buried seeds of divine wisdom that I have forgotten. Upon re-reading those gentle written reminders, my spirit soared to the stratosphere of divine inspiration.

Sometimes, it is not how many books one reads but the quality of material that is in our disposal. My personal goal is to read one book a week in a calendar year. That translates to 52 books.

However, I often fall short of my own personal target. Then, at times, like last night, I read a really inspirational book. My heart takes a leap, my soul feels infinitely joyful and my mind becomes unfettered by the drudgeries of daily living.

It is like pure oxygen to a physically weakened body.

Thoughts From Seat of the Soul is a gem that awaits an eager heart. If you feel the need to be inspired, this may just be the book for you.

Where Have All The Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca

IF YOU have read his autobiography you would know where's Lee coming from and the straight talk he's famous for.

This is his latest word on the state of America, and he has a lot to say. One thing about Iacocca, he's never boring.

I actually started browsing his latest book at the local Borders outlet. It was so gripping that eventually I knew I have to get my hands on a copy.

Iacocca is the type of character that you know you can gleam a lot of information from. Afterall, wasn't he the man who saved Chrysler? You would have thought that age would slow him down but no sirree!

Iacocca's account of his meeting with Fidel Castro was hilarious in parts and an eye-opener in others. Simply put, I really enjoyed the way this one time auto head honcho tells his anecdotes.

There is also a chapter on his assessment of the US candidates for the presidential elections. Although I am not that quite familiar with American politics, the way Iacocca spins a tale about those he knows intimately was quite a revelation.

Yes, Where Have All The Leaders Gone is a good source of information from someone who has been there, done that and came home to talk about it.

It is therefore not surprising that Lee Iacocca is much admired by numerous heads of State abroad. They value his opinion and knows that he speaks for many Americans who don't have the avenues to express their sentiments.

Iacocca may be on the far end of maturity but his mind is still as sharp as a razor. Past presidents have enjoyed his company and valued his views. They had all talked to him, in conversations over national issues and in private over personal matters.

No matter what the situation, Lee Iacocca was at one time a man to be reckoned with, if you want to know where the real America stood on a particular issue.

The years have passed, the man may no longer be in the seat of power so to speak, nevertheless his assessment of present America cannot be ignored.

He knows his country, he understands its politics, and by the spirit of George Washington, Iacocca's heart beats with the same great passion as his forbears when America was surging ahead of the rest of the world in a century past.

This book has a generous sprinkling of commonsense that Iacocca has the intelligence to express in simple terms and words. It is a fantastically good read.

Even I, not an American, like it very much. The reason is because the writer is very entertaining and he "shoots straight from the hip". Not many people do that nowadays.

Bring on the Empty Horses by David Niven

DAVID Niven had always been one of my old time favourite actors. He had that special air about him that commanded respect and admiration.

I confess I have not seen all his movies, nor have I seen three-quarters of the movies he had acted in but I did come across a book he wrote in 1975 Bring On The Empty Horses.

It is one of the most hilarious novels ever written by an actor on the Hollywood life. After reading this book, I developed a healthy admiration for the Englishman who left the cliffs of Dover for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

Niven talked about the people he knew while climbing up the slippery ladder of success in tinseltown. Some of those whom he knew intimately were Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and several other big name actresses.

From his writing, one can tell that the beloved actor was a man of honour who was simply surprised by his own acting success. His candour in describing situations were often hilarious and sometimes downright unspeakably funny.

David Niven was a man who belonged to the old school of ethics, honour and old fashioned humility. One part of the book which I like very much was when he talked about someone in Hollywood who simply became an obnoxious fool after meeting success and turned his back on his own agent who helped contribute in no small way to that person's success.

It was only at the end of the book, Niven mentioned without hesitation that the person in question was himself. In one fell swoop, he had apologised in public and in the most humble way possible to an old friend whom he owed a big debt.

I am sure when his old agent was told about the part Niven mentioned in his book about his haughty ways, all was forgiven.

Very much in character, Niven sought forgiveness in a most gentlemanly way. Bring On The Empty Horses is an enormously good read. It was great fun. I was certainly surprised that Niven could write so well.

I guess when a person writes straight from the heart, he is seldom wrong and is often quite profound in elucidating some of his most memorable moments. Good novels like this one by Niven are not as common as grass but we are lucky that sometimes, actors like David Niven had found it fit to express in words what he could not express in real life to so many.

Hence, he put them all down in words so that long after he had passed our way, this thoughts remained to remind his loved ones and friends alike that he did the best he could, and hoped they will forgive him for any unintended transgressions.

I love this book. It jelled with the impression of that likeable English actor for whom I had the profoundest respect for a very long time. Niven is one of a kind. May he long live in the memories of those who admired and liked him.

Guideposts to a happy life

I have read hundreds of books in my life but some of the books that have inspired me no end come from the sphere bordering spirituality and selflessness.
The Guideposts magazine has been around for decades. In the years past, many of the wonderful anecdotes that have rebuilt lives, repaired broken ones and inspired the timid to greater things have been compiled in volumes that have graced the shelves of countless book shops.
I have had the luck to come across some of these books and have read them with great relish. True tales of courage and of people overcoming great odds to scale to the top have served as rungs for me to move up several levels above from where I were before.
If I were asked to recommend reading material for school children, I would, without hesitation, recommend Guidepost books and magazines.
These are the stuff that made happy people. Being successful in life doesn't necessarily involve material wealth. It could be as simple as having lots of genuine friends and loved ones surrounding you all the time.
What is the moral of the message then? It means "don't try to be clever". It is a line that is often repeated but seldom heard because we are too busy trying to impress others, sadly including to ourselves.
The next time, you feel an urge coming to show off your talent, skill or simply your new watch, desist. Life's much simpler and happier if you do not expose your lack of wisdom.
There are already too many clever people on earth. That's why this planet has so many problems!

The Secret of Longevity

This is actually an old book which had been recently reprinted. You could sit down for about an hour or so and finished it before the sun sets.
The introduction and the opening chapters are the most interesting because the writer tells of those who were early visitors to Tibet.
Stories of these travellers meeting Tibetan monks who looked 30 years old but were actually 90. These were the people who were already practising the techniques of longevity but were never really bothered about lifespan because that wasn't their aim in life.
In fact, for these inhabitants of the so-called Shangri-La, longevity is merely a word and concept which was held in obsession by people outside their country.
Gradually, tales from this faraway land filtered back to so-called civilised land and writers began to string together an amazing series of allegedly secrets that reveal the art of longevity.
I have read this at least once. As for the exercise system that is elaborated in the later chapters, they are actually quite simple and straightforward. The techniques are simplicity itself.
The only reward that will and can be reaped from this book is the reader really tried them all out and stick by them henceforth.
The Secrets of Longevity is a wonderful read. Elegantly well told, with some very fine examples of how one should live one's life against the more attractive and rather alluring sense of modern achievements.
Somehow the underlying message in this book is that if you want to attain longevity then you should rethink your materialistic pursuits and craving for riches that may account for a shortened lifespan.
This book has a philosophy that places humility and simplicity on a very high pedestal. Something which many of us city slickers are not familiar with or even want to be acquainted with.
Hence, when we ask or try to lengthen our own lifespan, we are actually going against the grain of the society we live in. The people of Tibet and elsewhere where longevity is taken for granted, really do not adopt our kind of lifestyle.
These people lead very simple lives. Their needs are fews and the wants are limited. They do not think much about time. For them, the time is always NOW and life's greatest pleasures are found in simple things welll done.
Basically, it always narrows down to love, faith, mercy, humility and simplicity. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of longevity.

The Jeshua Transcripts

My sister pointed me to the way where I could download and read these transcripts.
So if you are not spiritually inclined, read no further than this sentence. Personally, I found the Jeshua Transcripts one of the most stirring piece of literature in my entire life.
Perhaps, I was ready for it, or something like that. The spoken words through a man has been transcriped and now are in written form. They exude an aura of mysticism and yet are not clear in their messages that even a child can understand them.
Thousands of years ago, the man they called Jesus walked the holy land, except back then, it wasn't known as the holy land but just a piece of ground that was ruled by Romans and occupied by a motley crew of inhabitants, good, bad and the ugly.
Through the centuries, the quest of spiritual knowledge among mankind has been unrelenting. It is one of the quirks of man and it is to search for something that he knows exists except that he can't his mind and finger on it.
The Jeshua Transcripts fulfil and satisfy the need of such seekers. I found the words healing my soul and speaking to my heart. I was glad, astounded and delighted at the same time.
It's time you have been wandering on earth for decades searching for the perfect soul, and then this person shows up at your door and tells you of the wonders of life, here, now and forever.
The phrase "when the student is ready, the master appears" has often been said but rarely understood. With Jeshua Transcripts, all the planets come into alignment. I know this smacks of something like out of Star Wars. But what could be a simpler explanation than the order of higher beings has come into play.
The majority of us who are too preoccupied on a daily basis with earthly possessions and matters of temporal beauty and fleeting pleasure will be disinclined to follow Jeshua's path. There will be a select few who recognise the signs and answer the call from beyond.
Jeshua ben Joseph as the entity identifies himself speaks of things intangible and yet eternal. If we are to understand fully what he says, our hearts must be open and our souls willing.
His are the words that are wonderfully rich in content. It is as if he is looking into your soul and speaking to your spiritual self - the one that God had implanted in every living form, particularly the one we call man.
If you are looking for ways or avenues to achieve material wealth, you would be grossly mistaken. However, the messages and advice are worth far more than you could ever imagine.
The Transcripts is like a holy grail. All you need to do is to drink the contents and you will be transformed forevermore.
The Jeshua Transcripts comes in several little chapters or booklets. It has a continuity that seems to be travelled along the Milky Way. It comes from a source yet unknown.
The power of its messages is immense and immesurable. Perhaps I exaggerate but I would like to akin reading the transcripts to standing before the Burning Bush, much like what Moses had experienced eons ago.
If you have the time, and if you are one of the seekers of eternal peace, look up the Jeshua Transcripts. I assure you that you won't be disappointed.
Have you ever stood before the Portal of Eternity and caught the soothing and the magnificent shining light that emanates from it?
Go forth and challenge yourself. There is nothing to fear and everything to gain.