Those cards look beautiful. But my goodness are the messages printed on them repulsive. A review on Amazon.com lists the following as samples. Note that almost all are framed from negative perspective.
"The world needs another religion like it needs a bigger hole in the ozone layer."
"For God to create the imperfect either means that He was imperfect, or that He deliberately made those who were, so that they could screw up, be punished by Him, and suffer here on psycho planet."
"There isn't really anyone else out there. There is only one ego appearing as many."
"Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road. Without forgiveness, metaphysics is useless."
"Whenever you condemn another, your salvation is off to a flying stop."
"Misery loves company, but that doesn't mean you have to accept the invitation."
"The nonsensical tragedy of duality is considered to be normal by all modern societies, which are themselves mad as a hatter."
"The people of the world will never live in peace until the people of the world have inner peace."
"You think the universe is evolving...but it's really just spinning its wheels, repeating the same pattern over and over in different forms."
"A jetliner is always going off course, but through constant correction, it arrives at its destination. So will you arrive at yours."
I'm sure the sentences work better in their original context.
But would anyone really want to carry with her a deck of cards that have these expressions on them: "psycho planet", "there isn't really anyone else out there", "misery loves company", "nonsensical tragedy", "never live in peace", "same pattern over and over" and "mad as a hatter"?
It matters not that the message in its entirety logically turns the meaning around (i.e. it's not you who is psycho/miserable/mad). The way our subconscious mind works is that those expressions serve as suggestions.
I'm going to give the book a chance, but I think these cards were a bad move - they don't make the book look very good. That would probably be the case with a lot of books if you tried to distill it down to a few phrases. It would come off as cheap and shallow.
Maybe the publisher sees the cards as a promotional item, but clearly the product is at least marketed as a distinctive tool with beneficial effects. On the Amazon.com page it says, on "Book Description":
"... 72 cards that are guaranteed to accelerate your spiritual progress and help you achieve enlightenment. The thoughts expressed were spoken by Gary’s Ascended Master Teachers, and were chosen for these cards with their Guidance. If you read at least some of these cards every day over an extended period of time, you will never be the same."
Hey, Gary Renard feels the same way as I do about the people of the Middle-East hating each other's guts.
A good laxative... naaah! This joke's getting old. But honestly, all these angry people do behave like they have bowel trouble. They should eat more fiber. And carrots. Carrots make you friendly.
Joe Dick said... "How can they guarantee you'll achieve enlightenment? ;-)"
Buy my flashlights! They work. Guaranteed enlightenment or your money back!
Those cards look beautiful. But my goodness are the messages printed on them repulsive. A review on Amazon.com lists the following as samples. Note that almost all are framed from negative perspective.
ReplyDelete"The world needs another religion like it needs a bigger hole in the ozone layer."
"For God to create the imperfect either means that He was imperfect, or that He deliberately made those who were, so that they could screw up, be punished by Him, and suffer here on psycho planet."
"There isn't really anyone else out there. There is only one ego appearing as many."
"Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road. Without forgiveness, metaphysics is useless."
"Whenever you condemn another, your salvation is off to a flying stop."
"Misery loves company, but that doesn't mean you have to accept the invitation."
"The nonsensical tragedy of duality is considered to be normal by all modern societies, which are themselves mad as a hatter."
"The people of the world will never live in peace until the people of the world have inner peace."
"You think the universe is evolving...but it's really just spinning its wheels, repeating the same pattern over and over in different forms."
"A jetliner is always going off course, but through constant correction, it arrives at its destination. So will you arrive at yours."
Now you mention it. I guess they selected them that way to catch people's attention.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course they are not at all a replacement for the book.
I'm sure the sentences work better in their original context.
ReplyDeleteBut would anyone really want to carry with her a deck of cards that have these expressions on them: "psycho planet", "there isn't really anyone else out there", "misery loves company", "nonsensical tragedy", "never live in peace", "same pattern over and over" and "mad as a hatter"?
It matters not that the message in its entirety logically turns the meaning around (i.e. it's not you who is psycho/miserable/mad). The way our subconscious mind works is that those expressions serve as suggestions.
I think I'll skip both. I don't like books that unashamedly cater to the lowest common denomenator.
ReplyDeleteI think the publisher sees the cards as a promotional item.
ReplyDeleteAnd they really don't give a good impression of the depth of the book. In fact I don't think you can do that with cards.
I'm going to give the book a chance, but I think these cards were a bad move - they don't make the book look very good. That would probably be the case with a lot of books if you tried to distill it down to a few phrases. It would come off as cheap and shallow.
ReplyDeleteQuite so.
ReplyDeleteApparently it's something Hayhouse does for many of their books.
If you read the book and have any trouble with it, send me an email.
Maybe the publisher sees the cards as a promotional item, but clearly the product is at least marketed as a distinctive tool with beneficial effects. On the Amazon.com page it says, on "Book Description":
ReplyDelete"... 72 cards that are guaranteed to accelerate your spiritual progress and help you achieve enlightenment. The thoughts expressed were spoken by Gary’s Ascended Master Teachers, and were chosen for these cards with their Guidance. If you read at least some of these cards every day over an extended period of time, you will never be the same."
I think I'd rather continue being the same. ;-)
Yes, that's complete marketing bullshit.
ReplyDeleteHow can they guarantee you'll achieve enlightenment? ;-)
ReplyDeleteEolake said:
ReplyDelete"If you read the book and have any trouble with it, send me an email."
Will do.
"If you have not achieved enlightenment within a maximum of five lifetimes, we will cheerfully return your money. [No adjustment for inflation.]"
ReplyDeleteHey, Gary Renard feels the same way as I do about the people of the Middle-East hating each other's guts.
ReplyDeleteA good laxative... naaah! This joke's getting old.
But honestly, all these angry people do behave like they have bowel trouble. They should eat more fiber. And carrots. Carrots make you friendly.
Joe Dick said...
"How can they guarantee you'll achieve enlightenment? ;-)"
Buy my flashlights! They work. Guaranteed enlightenment or your money back!