| Who are we? Inspiring answers
from bestselling authors and reviews of their books Life S.O.S. (Secrets of Success) | by Maryel McKinley Wouldn't it be great if we were born with a "How To " book for living life successfully? Well, the goal for this new column, "Life S.O.S!" (S.O.S. meaning HELP as well as an acronym for Secrets of Success) is to provide you with answers to some of life's difficult questions by asking loaded questions to revered celebrity philosophers, spiritual leaders and authors, as well as some of our very own homegrown local heroes. In line with this month's featured topic of "Who are we?" I interviewed an eclectic mix of inspirational people. Because the answers are limited to a few paragraphs each, I applaud the below interviewee's for their excellence in answering these deep questions in such prolific terms. May these inspired answers help you and guide you on the exciting journey that is your precious and unique expression of life. The first person I chose to interview is a mentor of mine, Dr. Judith Orloff. Her work is unprecedented in that she has combined a marriage of the scientific with the spiritual. As an intuitive psychiatrist who practices energy psychiatry Judith is the author of Second Sight, Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing, and her latest, Positive Energy. Judith, As human beings, who are we really, and how do we use intuition to know this? Dr. Judith Orloff: As a psychiatrist and medical intuitive, I believe that we humans are made up of flesh and blood, but also of energy fields. In my new book Positive Energy, I describe how as I was going through medical school I was taught that energy was simply like gasoline. We fill up at the pump then go out to face the busy world. In medical school I learned nothing about our vital life force -- known as "Chi" or "Prana" by numerous cross-cultural healing traditions -- who have revered this subtle energy in us for thousands of year. Now I realize: We are energy bodies. We have light that penetrates and surrounds us that affects our health and well-being. We need to know that to take better care of ourselves, and also to combat energy vampires, people who can suck us dry. We can sense who we are through intuition, that still small voice inside that transcends the rational, the linear so we can feel the deepest parts of us. Our intuition can tell us how to heal and how to love. It can let us know our soul's energy and get a sense that we are more than our physical bodies. The energy of our souls transcends this lifetime and is infinite. Once we can intuitively know this our fear of death will lift and we're free to enjoy this precious life we've been given with all its ups and downs. Review -- Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear Into Vibrance, Strength, and Love, by Dr. Judith Orloff M.D., (Harmony Books) When I was asked to review Dr. Judith Orloff's latest book -- Positive Energy -- I truly did not know how she would manage to top her last two brilliant bestsellers, of which I can't say enough magnificent things about. However, the moment I started reading the first few pages of Positive Energy, I realized that she had outdone even her best work to date! The format of the book is truly unique in that it offers 10 prescriptions to achieving a stress-free life full of energy and love, and the innovative approaches that Judith suggests as energy psychiatry prescriptions in each chapter are truly effective, as my clients, friends and I have all utilized them. Also unique to this book are the enlightening interviews that Dr. Orloff did with several well-known celebrities and how they have put these prescriptions to practice in their own lives. Interviews include intimate conversations with Larry King, Cheryl Tiegs, Jamie Lee Curtis and others. This is a fascinating, yet practical, book that you will refer to often. It is a must for everyone's bookshelf, whether you are a doctor, a pratictioner, or a housewife who needs practical energy prescriptions that really work. Because I have spent several years studying with Dr. Orloff, I can attest to the fact that Dr. Judith Orloff practices what she preaches. The ideas and prescriptions offered in this book are actual exercises and tools that have not only been developed by Judith, but have enormously helpful in her life as a busy author, psychiatrist and public speaker. My life path has changed in remarkable ways as a result of putting into practice the energy prescriptions that Dr. Orloff reveals in this groundbreaking new book. Because Dr. Orloff's patient waiting list has more than 5,000 names on it, it is a blessing that she has compiled this priceless information in easy-to-use format that will change your life for the better. Find her books at local bookstores, or go to www.drjudithorloff.com. * * * Next I have chosen to interview Walter Semkiw, M.D., and author of Return of the Revolutionaries: The case for reincarnation and soul groups reunited. Dr. Semkiw, you have an unprecedented insight into who we are in regards to who we were in our past lives. I understand your groundbreaking scientific approach and empirical research has won you many accolades from people like Nobel Laureate Kari Mullis and President Bill Clinton. Dr. Semkiw, how does past life information help us find out who we are today? Dr. Walter Semkiw: Reincarnation cases that are now being published by multiple independent researches, which demonstrate that people have the same facial features, personality traits and even writing style, from lifetime to lifetime, provide answers to questions that humanity has been asking for eons. These cases provide objective evidence that we are immortal souls that return to earth life frequently, and that we are essentially the same person, that we have the same type of mind, from incarnation to incarnation. Desires, motivations and interests persist from lifetime to lifetime. Equally important, these cases demonstrate that people can change religious, ethnic and racial affiliation from lifetime to lifetime. One of the most important cases of this type involves Barbro Karlen, who has written a book about her past life memories of being Anne Frank. Barbro, who was born into a Christian family, was also a child prodigy writer, like Frank, and Barbro has the same facial features as Anne Frank. Reflect that if 60 years ago the German people knew that one could be born Jewish in one lifetime and Christian in another, then the Holocaust could never have happened. The objective evidence of reincarnation that is now coming into the world also shows that we reincarnate in karmic soul groups. Married couples and even entire families can reincarnate back together again. Currently, a large soul group from the American Revolution has reunited, in part, to usher in a new "Spiritual Revolution" -- a level of consciousness that will help create a more peaceful world. Reincarnated revolutionaries include Marianne Williamson, Neale Donald Walsch, Shirley MacLaine, Gary Zukav, Barbara Marx Hubbard, John Hagelin, Dennis Kucinich and Oprah Winfrey. Review -- Return of the Revolutionaries: The case for reincarnation and soul groups reunited, by Walter Semkiw, M.D., published by Hampton Roads Publishing Have you ever wondered who Oprah Winfrey, George Bush or Marianne Williamson were in their past lives? Then you must read "Return of the Revolutionaries." This book is by far the most outstanding case for evidence of reincarnation that has ever been published. As a board-certified physician who has worked at the Fortune 500 company Unical 76, Dr. Semkiw approaches the case for reincarnation with the empirical precision and unadulterated passion that only a professional scientist who has an innate spiritual resource would attempt -- but then again, he was John Adams in a past life! With astounding photographs of spiritual and political leaders past and present, Dr. Semkiw shows that actual facial structure does not change from lifetime to lifetime, even if the race or gender is different. His impeccable research also reveals that not only are physical traits similar, but the personas, philosophies and personality traits carry over into each lifetime, as well. This exciting new book will convince even the most hardened cynic that reincarnation is very real. On some of the cases, Dr. Semkiw worked with Shirley MacLaine's reknowned psychic, Kevin Ryerson, in gathering information that is too important for the world to ignore. After reading this masterpiece, I felt a sense of calm and peace, as I know now for sure that I was here before, and that there is a grand purpose in my life and the lives of those around me. I predict this book will be a cornerstone classic for future evidence to come. This book is available at your local bookstores. For events, please go to www.johnadams.net * * * Finally, I have chosen to interview Ariel and Shya Kane, the esteemed authors of Working on Yourself Doesn't Work and Working on your Relationship Doesn't Work. Ariel and Shya, you have been working with groups of people, supporting them in finding themselves for more than 15 years. Who are we, really? And how do we come to know that? Ariel and Shya Kane: Dr. Maryel, those are excellent questions. Who are you initially? You are a machine that is destined to act out the past over and over again. Who are you really? You are a being that is not affected by the past and you have the power to live your life moment-by-moment, independent of that past. What it takes to be who you really are is awareness and a willingness to discover who you are in each moment. Until you bring awareness to how you operate, you will continue with old mechanical, unwanted behaviors, which will repeat and dominate you. But awareness, the mere bringing of attention to the way you relate with yourself and others, holds the key to freeing you from those unwanted behavior patterns. Coming to know who you are is far simpler than most of us make it. Most of us have learned that we need to be hard on ourselves in order to change. What the two of us have discovered is that working on yourself doesn't work. We have discovered the effortlessness of transformation, which happens when you discover how to live in the moment. Review -- Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation, by Ariel and Shya Kane (ASK productions) The search is over! "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" is all you will need to make the transformational shift that can dramatically alter the course of your quality of living -- for the rest of your life. Unprecedented by far, this book takes an authentic look at transforming our lives, as opposed to changing our lives. Yes, according to Ariel and Shya Kane there is a difference between transformation and change. Transformation can occur in mere minutes! The process starts with listening. They suggest that you read the book as though hearing it clearly -- with an open mind, devoid of preconceived ideas, hence, closing the door on our patterns or "perception problem," which has caused many to live life as though deaf and blind, frantically searching for the next fix-me workshop, only to feel disillusioned later. Awareness is another step in the process. Observation and reviewing our prejudices are integral in the transformation process, as is the ability to delve into the truth of our memories finding out that many of them are fiction rather than fact. This book is very well written, with an excellent award-winning photo on the cover taken by Ariel Kane. I was enchanted by the intimate ambiance that these pages portrayed, as if the Kanes were in my living room sharing tea with me while expressing with clarity the process of "Instantaneous Transformation." Also the authors of Working On Your Relationship Doesn't Work, The Kanes' concept of "Instantaneous Transformation" can be summed up by one of my favorite passages in the book: "There is a modern day philosopher's stone -- Being in this moment -- and what it does is transform ordinary, mundane lives into exquisite, magnificent lives." This book is refreshing, truthful, sincere, authentic and written with insightfulness and clarity. I have definitely benefited from the experience of reading this book. I've learned the difference between decisions vs. choices. "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" taught me that "Choices are the expression of your heart" and I choose to give this book a rating of 10+. A must for the library of every seeker of truth. For more information go to www.ask-inc.com or call 1 (800) 431-1579. Maryel McKinley, Ph.D., D.D., C.A.D.C., is a former faculty member of Deepak Chopra's organization "My Potential." She recently was asked to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show for her work with addictions and healing toxic relationships. For a free telephone counseling consultation, she may be reached at (816) 347-0027 or visit www.DrMaryelMcKinley.com Copyright © 2004 Maryel McKinley |
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April 2004 |
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