By: Von Braschler
“Man
alone, of all the creatures on Earth, can change his
own
pattern. Man alone is architect of his destiny....”
– William
James
Post-modern industrialized
societies suffer not only from common anxiety but also from herd mentality;
the mass communication has standardized how people should live, including
their expectations and their outlook of life. This is part of the
self-deception problem of modern societies characterized by consumerism and
the economy of waste.
The book Awaken
the Power Within is a bold, new book that shows how most teachers
and healers in the so-called self-help arena simply dumb-down ancient
insights and then attempt to repackage them in some easier, weaker form for
mass marketing.
Albert Amao Soria, PhD debunks many of them and for good reason. Real self help comes from within. Real growth, understanding, and transformation come only from within you. That's what self help means. You are finding your way. You are on your own path of discovery. You are growing. This self-help literature promise to make you rich, make you wise, make you whole, and make you over. This is nothing new, but every time one crops up to take away our pain, our worries, our insecurity, or confusion, they announce themselves as some sort of new messiah. Generally, they disguise themselves as authors, workshop leaders, teachers, or life coaches who offer self help to the ignorant fools who come to them for help. The new age is full of them. Self-improvement seminars and classes are filled with them. They offer the secret teachings of the ages. They offer to guide you in the area of self help. Krishnamurti, an Indian sage who once led thousands worldwide disbanded his organization and sent all of his followers home. He told them that they needed to be their own teacher and their own student and that they needed to find their way on their own. Truth, he told them, is a pathless land. That is the hero's journey of self discovery. The hero goes on a path of uncertainty, a self-directed journey. Along the way, all great heroes on the path find themselves. The journey is more fruitful and rewarding than the destination. Mr. Amao's new book examines some of the deepest and most effective elements of self-help practice in the succession of traditional esoteric thought. He outlines a historical picture of what has worked and what has not. It's important, after all, to understand modern self-help culture from its earlier mystical and occult movements and how we got to the current interest in the power of positive thought. But here's the ugly truth that many of today's phony teachers with their magic pills and magic formulas won't tell you on their way to selling you a bill of goods or a certificate after several lessons: All real growth requires effort and struggle. It doesn't come easy. It can't. You have to feel it personally. You need to grow outside of the comfort boundaries that hold you neatly in place. The fake teachers do not tell you how the act of spiritual unfolding is uncomfortable. It's like peeling the layers of skin around you, like the layers of an onion. You are working your way through layers of dense material form that shrouds you and conceals your inner being. Ever peel an onion? Not easy is it? And there are tears along the way. That's what it's like peeling down to you spiritual core. Only you can do that. The answers are all inside you. The truth is there, too. And you will find yourself along the way. Here find the difference between real self help and the snake-oil salesmen who offer to make our transformation easy, to bring us instantly to self-realization, and grant us enlightenment in a few easy lessons. Real healing happens from within. You can receive valuable assistance, but you must be willing to do what is necessary to heal on your own to a great degree. And you can.
I asked Dr.
Albert Amao a few pointed questions about the self-help programs today and
the major focus of his new book. His frank answers follow:
(Q) Dr. Amao, how
would you assess the scope and problems of the self-help market in modern
society?
(A) The sell-help culture in
the modern developed countries around the world has become a pervasive social
system. Taken as an example North America alone, this issue has become a
staggering $12 billion industry. There are more than 300,000 books available on
Amazon in the category of “self-help.” Given this astounding amount of literature,
how can one possibly decide where to look for an authentic self-help
book? We are becoming a quick-fix society. Nowhere is this more
apparent than in regards to individuals who flock to programs that seek
shortcuts in the hope of achieving rapid results. As we frequently see, many
proponents of self-help, including advocates of positive thinking, mind/faith
healing, and other fictitious techniques aimed at helping others actually
focus on fattening their bank accounts as their primary purpose.
Self-help
is used by some as a business enterprise. No wonder there are many
bestselling books in the self-help industry that promise many wonders in a
short period of time. This includes Eckhart Tolle’s The Power
of Now, Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret, and many others.
The purpose of my
book Awaken the Power Within is to analyze the accuracy of
self-help and positive-thinking claims and to explore what works, what
doesn’t, and why.
(Q) What harm or
hidden downside do you see in the popular self-help market today?
(A) Most of the
time, people assume as true the recommendations given in most of these books,
audio-books, and seminars. Then, when the material they buy does not deliver
the benefits promised, they blame themselves and think that there is
something wrong with them. Thus, their effects can be detrimental.
Consequently, the self-help programs that are supposedly harmless can do more
harm than good and may also reflect the social problems now plaguing our
modern society.
This problem has
been addressed by many authors, such as investigative journalist Steve
Salerno, who wrote a book titled SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement
Made America Helpless. As the title of the book suggests,
inauthentic self-help culture can result in clients victimizing themselves.
Motivational speakers organize seminars and workshops, where they sell their
books, audio-books, CDs, and more, charging seminar fees that range often
from $500 to several thousand dollars in the case of Tony Robbins. The same
can be said regarding some Christian ministers motivational speakers who use
their popularity and their church platforms to indirectly promote their books
and audiotapes. Furthermore, Salerno pointed out that market surveys revealed
"the most likely customer for a book on any given topic was someone who
had bought a similar book within the preceding eighteen months." Since a
person did not find what he/she was looking for, he/she kept searching for
another book, audio book, or CD. Or sometimes they enroll in future seminars
and workshops in an endless search for self-help.
HOW THIS HAPPEN IN
OUR MODERN SOCIETIES
Those self-help
gurus who have access to mass communication such as TV and radio have
tremendous power to influence naïve and uninformed people. The self-help
industry is infested by life coaches but not by authentic self-help
providers. Thus, self-help gurus promote self-victimization. In other
words, they advocate the idea that people have problems in adulthood, because
they had been victimized in early childhood. The theory is that their inner
child has been traumatized by past events. That becomes a negative
"tape" that replay over and over in their subconscious minds. They
then tell people that redemption comes through empowering themselves with new
"life scripts," which are their books, CDs, DVDs, seminars or
workshops.
SO, WHAT IS THE REAL
ISSUE
The real issue is
these “gurus” are selling themselves as healers and projecting their own
shortcomings on their clients. The gimmicks used to sell self-help material
and workshops may provide people with temporary relief, but this does not
last much. They offer only a momentary boost of inspiration that fades
away after a few weeks, turning buyers into repeat customers.
IN A FEW WORDS WHAT
IS THE MAIN GOAL OF YOUR NEW BOOK?
The main goal of
this book is to raise awareness about the modern “snake oil” peddlers who
take advantage of gullible people. Again, they sell the idea of
victimization. Once the client accepts the idea that he or she was victimized
in his early life, the next step for the self-help agent is to propose the
idea of empowerment with their techniques.
Someone accurately
posited the inquiry: Why is it called "self-help" if one has to pay
for it?
In this environment, as sociologist and cultural critic I feel is my duty to have the courage to clear the air
and put things into realistic perspective. Millions of people are wasting
time, money, and energy buying ineffective and detrimental systems.
(Q) Then what sort
of real self-help do you advocate as authentic and effective today?
(A) We can’t throw
the baby out with the bath water. It is imperative that we rescue authentic
self-help from the business mindset. Contrary to critics who blithely dismiss
self-help methods, or New Age gurus who sell them as miracles, the book Awaken
the Power Within explores the conditions under which self-help is authentic
and effective.
There is a pattern
of powerlessness among common people. From early childhood we have been
disempowered and indoctrinated with false ideas and beliefs about our true
nature. Currently, quantum physics and metaphysics are fully demonstrating
that humans are the creators of their own reality and destiny.
The problem is that
we took for granted the false beliefs of self-worthlessness and lack of
confidence from our parents, grandparents, mass media, and so-called
“conventional wisdom.” And with time, these inherited beliefs of
disempowerment became part of our personal belief systems and we
subconsciously create a wrong self-image of ourselves. This set of
ideas and beliefs is generally oriented to make us feel powerless and victims
of circumstances. It seems that there is a huge conspiracy to inflict a sense
of powerlessness on humans. Moreover, some religious
organizations create a sense of guilt on humans because Adam and Eve commit
their original sin.
The mass media is
basically oriented to manipulate and domesticate ordinary people, creating
superficial and unnecessary needs. Most people’s behaviors are based upon the
actions, decisions, and opinions of others. Under this scenario come false
New Age “gurus,” some Protestant religious leaders, and sensationalistic and
fake self-help authors to take advantage of naïve people to financially
profit from them. They offer a panacea or “snake oil” to solve all humans’
problems under the name of self-help. They demand that people uncritically
believe in them, their products, and services.
My book clarifies
the concept of “self-help” as a mental self-discipline that some people abuse
for the sake of entrepreneurship. It surveys the main assumptions of
inauthentic self-help culture that keeps humans enslaved in a herd mentality
and demonstrates how real power dwells in the individual and only in him or
her.
(Q) What are the
major objectives or aims of your new book?
(A) The primary
purposes of the book Awaken the Power Within are as
follows:
· To raise
awareness about modern “snake oil” peddlers who take advantage of gullible
people for financially benefit.
· To elucidate
manipulation with false ideas through TV, radio, and newspapers
· To analyze
the pseudo self-help movement in America and discuss what makes it a “cotton
candy dream.”
· To empower
people to rely on themselves and their inner strength for guidance.
· To review the
history of the New Thought movement and its offshoots.
· To make sense
of positive thinking
· To explain
how intentions and the power of assumption play active roles in shaping the
future
· To explain
the nature of reality, consciousness, and awareness.
(Q) What
was your basic goal in writing the book?
(A) This is the message of my book in one paragraph: To
raise awareness about the gimmicks of inauthentic self-help entrepreneurs and
empower people in their search for true sources of help. Humans have the
inner capacity to confront any difficult circumstances in life. There is no
need for external intervention. People are responsible for creating their own
reality with their thoughts and beliefs; and they are the only ones who can
take back their power and correct whatever is not working for them. The
book offers a deeper perspective on the culture of self-help and
self-improvement and empowers us to rely on our inner voice as a source of
motivation for authentic self-empowerment and self-reliance. It's time that
you begin your own hero's journey of self-discovery by awakening the power
within.
About the Author:
Albert Amao Soria is
a sociologist, social theorist, cultural critic, an independent researcher,
author, a life-long student of metaphysics and philosophy; He has over
30 years’ experience in comparative religion, psychology, and mysticism with
emphasis on Western spiritual traditions. He considers himself as Ageless
Wisdom student. Mr. Amao is the author of several books including, Awaken the
Power Within, Healing without Medicine, and The Dawning of the Golden Age of
Aquarius. Mr. Amao is a national speaker of the Theosophical Society; he
lectures nationwide (USA) on metaphysics, Hermetic Qabalah, and New Thought
philosophy. He is the founder of the “Center for Spiritual
Self-Awakening” Dr. Amao can be
contacted by email at Stgermain777@gmail.com. For further information, visit http://www.albertamao.com.
Von Braschler is the author of several books
including Seven Secrets of Time Travel, Moving in the Light, and Confessions
of a Reluctant Ghost Hunter. He writes in the areas of consciousness
development, esoteric healing, yoga, and time travel. He has led workshops
throughout the UK and the US and is active in the international Theosophical
Society of Adyar. He was a runner-up finalist for a COVR book award. Podcasts
from his show “Healing with Your Pet: Our Psychic Spiritual Connection” and
his many broadcast interviews are available online.
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Friday, May 15, 2020
REGAIN THE POWER WITHIN YOU
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Does Life Have a Purpose?
Saturday, February 15, 2020
The Decisive Keys to Success©
Knowledge should always be helpful for the
betterment of human welfare. Having valuable knowledge and not using it is a blasphemy
to life. Along these lines, the fundamental basis to success in all areas of
life is the psychological means of Self-Help and self-motivation.
Man’s thoughts are the
beginning of personal creation, social circumstances, and body condition. It
is up to every human being to dwell on a positive and uplifting set of ideas
rather than a negative and detrimental one. Here come the concepts of “self-initiative”
and “self-help” as means of motivation; these, in turn, promote favorable
conditions leading people to achieve whatever they want from life. Thus, it is
imperative to stress the notion of help yourself first to tap the
human potential. Additionally, the concept of self-help plays
an important role in cases of self-healing. It is important to remember
the saying, “Action opens the door.” You yourself are the
healer.
The concept of
self-help is anchored in the principles of self-initiative and
self-motivation; these are the initial steps required for creating
favorable opportunities. As Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasized, “Once you make a
decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” Indeed, this is a
true statement verified by the writer of this paper. The famous adage
makes perfect sentence: “God helps those who help themselves.” This statement
is self-evident; without self-initiative and self-motivation, nothing can be
accomplished. An individual is left at the mercy of forces beyond his will.
Their destiny becomes primarily dictated by the predominant thoughts of others
and by the conventional wisdom of their environment.
In
his masterpiece Think and Grow Rich, the famous American self-help
author Napoleon Hill, after interviewing the most successful men of his
time, found out that the key for their success was determination, a driven goal,
and action toward achieving their aims. Hill encapsulated the formula for
success in the following words, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe,
the mind can achieve.”
Moreover, a well-known
esoteric author, Manly P. Hall, whose achievements as a prolific writer about esoteric,
mythology, and metaphysics, was widely recognized. By the end of his life, he summarizes
his wisdom with the words: “I would drop all the magical trappings and
emphasize self-help.”[i] He
acknowledged the primordial importance of self-help
and self-initiative.
The idea of positive thinking is
also fundamental in maintaining perfect health. In past centuries, medical
doctors, philosophers, and scientists made a sharp distinction between the mind
and the body; they regarded these as separate entities without any
interrelationship. However, the truth is the reverse; modern scientific
discoveries provide factual evidence demonstrating the close interrelationship
between the mind and body. For instance, positive and negative emotional states
are now recognized as having a tremendous influence on the physical body.
There are cases
of faith healers, quacks, and charlatans who,
although they used fake procedures, accomplished their purposes via the power
of suggestion or placebo effect. In these cases, credit should be given to ill
people because they regained their wellness. Charlatans can create expectations
in naïve people, who are predisposed to believe in anything. This is evidenced on evangelical camp or New Age group healings, where the religious
leader, preacher, practitioner, etc., whose primary purpose is to raise the
congregants’ receptivity to suggestions. In turn, these suggestions activate
the imaginations of the subconscious mind of the followers to obtain the
healing or the “miracle” expected.[ii]
Along these lines, my
book Awaken the Power Within: In Defense of Self-Help can
be considered a self-help book. It guides and empowers the
reader on their journey as well as helps them achieve whatever they want in
life. The concept of self-help is a significant component of self-healing
as well.
Furthermore, this book
provides solids facts that can change one’s conception of life and man’s role
in life’s arena. Putting the principles recommended into practice is essential
to transforming oneself and life to what one desires. All one needs to do is
put these goals into creative visualizations, affirmations, and positive action
leading to their achievement.
If a person is not
getting what they want in life, the first thing they may need to do is an
honest introspection to determine what is holding them back. Perhaps one needs
to resolve past traumas or conflicts that may be in the way of getting what the
person wants. Or one may be fostering self-defeating ideas and feelings of
unworthiness that sabotage the accomplishment of their goals.
There is a tremendous
power that lies dormant within each person that can be awakened by the
practices of self-help, concentration, and meditation. One needs to stop
waiting for somebody else to appear and make one’s dreams come true. It is not
the guru, teacher, healer, or anyone else who can give someone that power. “All
the power is in you right now.” The only one who can free a person from
whatever situation they find themselves in is their Higher Self. Each
individual is the solution to all their problems and their only savior. It may
be true that someone else can provide some guidance, but the individual has to
do the job and take the necessary action to tread the proper path.
In this journey, the
faculty of discrimination, which is the capacity to distinguish between the
real and the false, question everything about its actual value, and discern
between the imaginary world where glamorous mirages appear as accurate, is
extremely important. It is this discriminatory power that helps a
person distinguish between the fake healer and the real one. People should
always remain skeptical but open-minded about testing new avenues of knowledge.
This allows them to avoid the cults, myths, and mania that often entrap those
seeking spiritual and metaphysical knowledge.
Lastly,
one should read the book Awaken the Power Within: In Defense of
Self-Help in its entirety to understand the psychological principles
it explains, while remembering the book is an information source, and all the
real power resides in the individual. People need to be kind and patient with
themselves. Patience is a valuable virtue, which will be of great use as one
makes one’s way to success. The goal is to free oneself from self-imposed
limitations and treat oneself with genuine love. A person has to love themselves
first and feel rich in spirit to attract love and wealth.
Here
are simple recommendations to start self-improvement help and healing from
within:
Most people have neglected the creative power
of their minds.
1) We have to take
responsibility for our actions and thoughts. The important thing is not what
happens to us but how we react to it.
2) Healthy life habits
should be incorporated into an active mental and physical life. We should
remember the saying: “keep the wheels turning; otherwise, they will get rusty.”
Healthy eating based on natural herbs and mainly vegetarian food is essential.
3) “Man does live from
bread alone.” Indeed, we also feed our mind and spirit with thoughts, beliefs,
and emotions that he indirectly or directly accepts and incorporates from the
social environment and mass media.
4) One cannot stress
enough the importance of the right food, physical exercise, deep and rhythmic
breathing, and exposure to solar light.
5) Spiritual exercises
such as reflection, meditation, and positive contemplation, as well as a
stress-free environment, are components of good spiritual
well-being.
Thus, the decisive key for success in all life
areas is self-help, self-motivation, and a positive attitude.
Albert Amao Soria, PH.D.
[i].
Manly P. Hall: http://www.truthcontrol.com/manly-p-hall.
[ii].
For further information refer to my book, Healing Without Medicine: From Pioneers
to Modern Practice. (Quest Books, 2014.)
Friday, January 24, 2020
Phineas P. Quimby: Discoverer of Mind Healing©
The sentences in italics illustrate that Lucius gave a powerful suggestion to his master Quimby when he asked Lucius if there was any remedy for his illness. This question was Quimby’s last hope. Lucius’s answer was definitively persuasive: “Yes, I can put the piece [kidney] on so it will grow, and you will get well.” And the lad proceeded to do his healing, putting his hands over the ill parts of Quimby’s body. Quimby held fast to the last hope given by Lucius, and this is evidenced by the fact that he checked the status of his recuperation on the following days with Lucius; Quimby was reassured by the young man that he was completely healed. As a result, Quimby did not feel any more pain. This event was pivotal for the breakthrough of mental healing in America. It was the epiphany or “eureka” moment for Quimby. Up to this point, he was hypnotized the medical diagnosis that kept him bound to the hopeless belief about his illness. If Lucius had answered Quimby’s last hope by saying, “No, there is no treatment or remedy for your illness,” Quimby would have continued believing in the medical diagnosis and would possibly have died in a year or so as he expected. This is confirmed by Quimby in the following quotation:
[20] Julius A. Dresser: The True History of Mental Science, op. cit.