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Home > Defy Gravity: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
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Defy Gravity: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
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By Caroline Myss
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 (41 Reviews)
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Publisher:
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Hay House
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Book Club
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Published:
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December 31, 1969 |
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Binding:
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Hardcover
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Pages:
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264
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New York Times best-selling author Caroline Myss draws from her years as a medical intuitive to show that healing is not only physical; it is also a mystical phenomenon that transcends reason. Inspired by ordinary people who overcame a wide array of physical and psychological ailments?from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer?Caroline dove into the works of the great mystics to gain a deeper understanding of healing?s spiritual underpinnings. Based on these studies, she demonstrates how conventional and holistic medicine often fall short in times of need. Both systems rely upon a logical approach to curing illness when there is nothing reasonable about the emotional, psychological, or spiritual influences behind any ailment. Integral to this mystical healing approach is the engagement of the soul, which we experience through exploring our seven shadow passions, building an empowered inner self around our seven inherent graces, and learning how to work with the mystical laws that govern it. This knowledge holds the key to understanding what it means to defy gravity and break through the boundaries of ordinary thought. You can heal any illness. You can channel grace. And you can learn to live fearlessly.
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Customer Reviews:
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 Essential Theme, Difficult Execution, December 4, 2009
By Sustainable Living Coach (East Haddam, Connecticut)
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I am reviewing the written book. Others have reviewed the audio book. This review of the book ranges from the highest praise to some specific criticisms offered through, among other things, an energetic response to the book.
The topic of this book is essential. It is exactly the right subject matter; the question of bridging the realms of personal growth, healing and wellness, and saving the planet. This is what needs to be done in the world today. I have the greatest respect and gratitude for Myss for having attempted to elaborate on this theme.
Respect for the work is initially grounded in the first paragraph of the forward, written by Andrew Harvey. "What is also remarkable and inspiring about Caroline as a writer, teacher and person, is that she is continually reinventing herself, constantly pressing forward to a more and more all-encompassing integration of mind, heart, body and soul. For her, this search for the unified force field of truth is never a purely individual one, it takes place in the context of an urgent and radical confrontation with our world crisis that is now threatening the survival of the human race and much of nature, and is is born out of a passionate desire for planetary as well as personal healing." This pithiness, though, does not carry through the book because of some religious overtones, somewhat awkward, dogmatic organizational structure, and insufficient development of the theme and urgency surrounding the context of our rapidly changing world.
Harvey goes on to say, "No one has a fiercer sense of "divine paradox" than Caroline-and she makes it clear, that she knows that our modern dark night is potentially the crucible of a birth on an unprecedented scale of healed human beings aligned consciously with cosmic grace..."
But it wasn't clear to me that 'no one has a fiercer sense of "divine paradox"', or that she really hit the mark with regard to the crucible of birth that is happening in the world - or for that matter, the true nature of cosmic grace. In other words, she went into a lot of detail about personal healing, but didn't develop the connection with the collective that is the key ingredient to the essential nature of the book.
One might add that, while the potential for the much finer world Harvey alludes to is available, the window of opportunity may be closing rapidly and there is no guarantee that we will pass through it to any degree. Of course the truth is most usually between such extremes and there is always reason to hope - the human race may not fail altogether, but to ignore the reality that it could is a mistake. To equate personal healing with the Great Turning currently unfolding is to explore the profound paradox and mystery of the duality of the situation. The brilliant opportunity before us collectively is an aspect of the potential for catastrophe, which is turn in is the seed for a new realm. There is urgency here. This interface between personal and collective healing is a rich chasm of possibility, but Myss' success to date with her special, tough yet compassionate perspective seems to constrain her from exploring this potential as much as it positions her to pull back the veils of our rationality to expose it.
Writing about unimaginable realms that bespeak an experience beyond our conscious minds using the tools of rationality represented by words, is no small feat. So you can not fault someone for trying. But it is hopefully serving to shine light on the areas that seem ripe for exploration next. This book is about spiritual things beyond reason - described with words that are themselves tools of the mind. To articulate with words that which is ineffable is oxymoron-ic, but it is nearly all we have at this stage of the game.
The task of writing a book involves creating an organizing framework, for the book must ultimately begin, proceed and end. Myss organizes the book variously with five 'truths' that represent chapter headings, and seven 'passions' and seven 'graces' inside of two of these chapters. This organization feels dogmatic. In fact, another reviewer commented that she felt as if she had gone full circle from traditional Christianity to new age beliefs and back to Christianity. That's an assessment with which I concur.
So these issues of which I am critical are distracting. But the book is not devoid of illustrating with significant value mankind's higher, collective potential. The need to transcend our overly emphasized reason in order to reconnect with the web of life and the cosmos is well presented in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2, Myss tackles forgiveness and our need to know the reasons why things happen. This concept is very powerful with regard to letting go of our need to know in order to step into healing, both individually and collectively. In this chapter there is a section titled 'On The Global Scale', but unfortunately it only addresses our personal response to global atrocities and doesn't yet describe the potential for our collective response. One presumes this will follow in subsequent chapters, but it doesn't and is, thus, the basis for the corresponding criticism.
Chapter 3 deals with the very important concept of meaning and purpose and their relationship with an authentic, healing life. Suggested as a kind of quest, moving into meaning and purpose becomes a vehicle for increased power. This discussion about power is pertinent and foreshadows parts of Chapter 6 discussing the idea of congruence. Yet, I personally wish there was a word other than 'power' to describe the magnitude of our access to life energy in any moment. Power connotes much of what is wrong in our dominance-oriented world and is thus a tricky word and subject. While Myss' intention, as is the book's, is superb - uplifting and serving, this chapter leaves unexplored the possibility of meaning and purpose being both more than just an intensely individual experience, and something much closer and accessible to us than the idea of a quest suggests. As physical beings connected to each other and the earth through myriad sensual 'web-strings', we are always equipped to step into meaning and purpose. Must we search energetically for it, or can we simply open to it? Moreover, is this really just a personal issue for which I have sole discretion to direct any success at accessing greater amounts of life energy? Or is there a connection between the life energy available to me and my level of congruence with the context, the living cosmos? It is this powerful connection that seems to represent, again, the lost opportunity of the book. If it were not so essential to the task at hand, it might not even justify mention. Yet if we are to ascribe to books the power to change the world, they must begin to better articulate this story.
Not to belabor the point, but it is this idea of transmuting our understanding of power - the application of energy in a dominance hierarchy where conflict and resistance continually drain away power - to an new understanding that equates coherency and collaboration almost paradoxically with the availability of power - that is the essential element of saving ourselves both individually and collectively. The book that is able to deliver this idea understandably holds great promise for changing the world.
Chapter 4 goes to process, correctly pointing out one essential element of healing, the removal of protective layers of denial. Characterized as the Seven Passions, modeled after the Seven Deadly Sins, this chapter feels the most dogmatic. Again, this is tricky stuff. To open to our deepest desires as they manifest as so-called passions is to reveal our authentic energies. It is a fine line between recognizing these energies and interpreting them as things that need to be repressed. The words used in this chapter like pride, avarice, luxury, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth resonate with a repressive mindset that conflicts with the books more enlightened mission. In Chapter 5, Myss outlines what are called the Seven Graces. As with the Seven Passions, she aligns her model with the seven chakra system. While I personally love the chakra model for understanding our potential levels of consciousness, in the context of all the other Truths and Laws in this book, this technique feels forced. Moreover, the Seven Graces, as inspirational as they are, Reverence, Piety, Understanding, Fortitude, Counsel, Knowledge and Wisdom all lack a reference to an essential aspect of being a living, breathing human being: coherent action. So for all the effort, we remain stuck in our head and the essential mission of the book to connect our personal healing with earthly sustainability is not realized.
In Chapter 6, Myss lays out five mystical laws. Again this sense of self-created dogma creeps in and one thinks, 'where is she getting this from?' Yet, it is in this chapter that she express a most mysterious and powerful idea that I hope continues to be deepened and articulated by spiritual writers. It is the concept of coherence or congruence. The fifth mystical law, she tells us, is 'Maintain Spiritual Congruency'. "...one way of describing your goal is to say that you want to become a congruent human being." "...in essence you are congruent when your beliefs match up with your everyday actions and your spiritual practice." For me, this is the heart of the matter and there seems to be a lot more book here than is needed to get to this point. On page 195, she says, "You maintain congruence by honoring the spiritual truths that you have consciously made a part of your interior life. Only you know what you believe to be true about your purpose in life and what qualifies as real or illusion for you. Once you make those choices, compromising them is an act of self-betrayal..."
This is a high point of the book that brings into even starker relief the missed opportunity to illuminate the great power, richness and satisfaction of getting congruent with the living earth and our sensual connection with it that would have filled in that sorely missing piece of the puzzle: the unfinished bridge between individual healing and a sustainable world. Alas, we are left to figure this out for ourselves as part of our conscious effort to live consciously. It is admirable to leave this up to the reader - sort of a libertarian approach to the subject - but, the absence of this deeper elucidation conflicts with the stated purpose of the book. One the one hand, that is disappointing. On the other, it leaves open the desperate need for someone to fill -- with a book of their own. Anyone?
This book is quite rich. While trying to reflect a multitude of personal responses to it with this review, there is great wisdom to acknowledge inside of Myss' facility with words about the subject. You could read it over and over and learn something about yourself and your own beliefs, and have insightful epiphanies each time. From the last chapter: "Live as if you were liberated from ordinary thought, beyond the boundaries of logic and reason. Be bold in your decisions and creative and imaginative in your thoughts. Think and live with the soul of a mystic, seeing the world as a field of grace in which you walk as a channel of light. Live these truths. Become these truths. This is your true highest potential." Myss reconnects with the book's mission at the very end: "Make bold, outrageous choices. Live as though you have the power to change the world-because you do."
61 of 72 people found the above review helpful.
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 Caroline Remains a MYSS-tical Force of Grace, October 23, 2009
By Opinionated One! (Near Washington DC)
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Folks looking to connect with their soul who need a qualified guide to lead them need look no further than DEFY GRAVITY, Caroline Myss' new book. This is the most focused tome I've ever read on personal and spiritual transformation, surpassed only by Myss' previous works-ENTERING THE CASTLE, ANATOMY OF THE SPIRIT and SACRED CONTRACTS. Myss is my all-time favorite teacher--one workshop with her gives you all the lessons you need to make radical shifts toward becoming more conscious. I've read all her books and have practically every word she's ever recorded in my private collection and I was fortuante enough to be part of her CASTLE program at CMED, so I speak from the stance of complete awareness when I say that this is Myss' most clear and succinct prose yet. Every page is an invocation to connect to the soul, every sentence she writes will land in your heart. The clarity in her words is simply astounding. I saw her present this material at Kripalu last spring and Myss is certainly on a mission to help people connnect to the Divine and she's pulled out all the stops! We are all very fortunate to have her in our midst--she is indeed a true mystic and one of the few genuine teachers who recognizes her greatness, but is also humble enough to to recognize that she is, indeed, just as human as the rest of us. DEFY GRAVITY is one of the best books of 2009 and, quite honestly, one of the best books ever!
58 of 66 people found the above review helpful.
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A Radical Path to Healing through Practical Mysticism, November 13, 2009
By Brian Emo (New York, NY USA)
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Caroline Myss has an established track record of identifying "what works and what doesn't" when it comes to the mystery of healing. She now challenges the cherished belief that healing can be produced by the mind alone. And while the technologies of visualization and affirmation play a respectable role in healing, these mind-based methods have failed to restore health to many dedicated adherents.
In DEFY GRAVITY, Caroline envisions healing as ultimately a mystical experience ... transgressing the bounds of reason and its rudimentary techniques, venturing into the intriguing realm of the seven dark passions and the seven graces.
Indulging in the "dark passions" of pride, avarice, luxury, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth sabotages opportunities to heal. Profound healing, however, is advanced by engaging the transformational power of the seven graces: reverence, piety, understanding, fortitude, counsel, knowledge, and wisdom.
The truth that every thought and action is motivated by either a dark passion or a grace reveals that we're constantly making choices, either consciously or unconsciously. But real healing is powered by conscious choice, whether it's healing of the body, mind, or soul.
An illuminating interpretation of mystical laws and recommended wisdom practices for building a healthy life complete this extraordinary book from a brilliant and innovative spiritual teacher.
49 of 52 people found the above review helpful.
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 A big miss for Myss, February 4, 2010
By BigHeart (Center Harbor, NH United States)
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Defy Gravity screams "buy me," but please consisder resisting. Despite the compelling title, the A-list reviews, and the track-record from a bestselling author, this book is a big miss for Myss. While Myss has some distracting writing style flaws, her most serious problem is an inability to articulate focused, actionable content in an easy-to-understand format.
More specifically, here's why this book is so very confusing. First Myss organizes the book into five truths. Then she talks about the seven shadow passions and the seven inner graces. Then she presents the four noble Buddhist truths. Then she introduces five mystical laws. Then she talks about the seven steps to defy illness. In between there's talk about chakras and Buddha and Jesus, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa of Avila and other so-called mystics like Abe Lincoln.
Oh my goodness, it's all too much. Way too much. Have you ever gone into someone's house who doesn't know when to stop decorating, buying things or hoarding. It's a mess, and that's exactly what it's like to read Defy Gravity. Nothing holds your interest because there's too much going on. Too many steps. Too many different voices competing for your attention.
Myss makes a mighty try to pull it all together, but her recipe doesn't work and the book lacks cohesive sense. I give Myss credit for her passion and for drawing our attention to the fact that the potential for healing is real in us all. However, if you seriously want to learn more about developing a miracle state of mind, I direct you to The Vortex by Hicks/Abraham or Left to Tell by Illigabiza.
31 of 36 people found the above review helpful.
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 Terrible, sarcastic and unenlightened, November 18, 2009
By Cynthia (New Jersey)
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I purchased this as an audiobook. The sarcastic tone of Ms. Myss is so degrading that I had to put the speed on 2x so that I could get through the book. In the first half of the book Myss points out all the faults of her readers. This is not done in a constructive helpful manner but rather in a degrading punitive manner. She repeatedly chastises the reader by saying "boo hoo" for you. The good points in the second half could have been summed up in a paragraph. If you are looking for inspiration, try Pema Chodron. Ms. Myss perhaps you could benefit from a refresher of Pema's wisdom as well.
25 of 37 people found the above review helpful.
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Myss Delivers Once Again!, October 18, 2009
By 99Pancakes (Bakersfield, California)
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Another outstanding work by Caroline Myss! If you are a "mystic out of a monastery" with the desire to serve God in both visible and invisible ways, then this is the book for you, added to the shelf with her other great works: Sacred Contracts, Invisible Acts of Power, and Entering the Castle. A must read for any spiritual sojourner intent on transforming our Earth with grace and divine power. Caroline, with her practical, "no nonsense" approach to spiritual service, takes typically esoteric stuff and grounds it for the ordinary person to apply to their day-to-day life.
21 of 24 people found the above review helpful.
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This book is really great!, October 16, 2009
By CM Clarkson (CA)
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This is a great book for anyone trying to examine the spiritual aspects of healing.
I have noticed that so many of the examples in the book applied to me (or a family member I knew).
What a great book-- it is so useful for anyone struggling with illness, especially chronic illness.
18 of 24 people found the above review helpful.
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The Mystical Secret to Opening Our Quantum Healing Heart, October 20, 2009
By www.johnjayharper.com (Spokane, WA United States)
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Upon serious reflection of Dr. Myss' contributions to global body-mind-spirit education, I recalled how Caroline opened my sixth sense many years ago with her insights into archetypes, myths, and symbols of the soul that our collective consciousness systematically employs to create our sense of self: the ego that is but the fractal, self-similar, extension of the Word Made Flesh: God.
In fact, Dr. Myss nearly singlehandedly brought respectability to the spiritual concepts of energy medicine in the academic circles two decades ago alongside such notables as Deepak Chopra, Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, and so on.
Thus, not surprisingly, she has done it again in this masterful book; teaching what reawakened mystics, shamans all, have known: It is through surrender of the personal sense of separation, our false ego, from the Creator that opens our heart to the great mystery of being one with the universal fractal flow of life force energy, ch'i, prana, Tao; or simply, The Holy Spirit.
Now bookmark my word: This book will Defy Gravity; to become the new gold standard for integrating quantum paradoxes into protocols triggering the sine qua non, "without which there is nothing," of the magic in the mystic: Spontaneous Remission.
Dr. John Jay Harper is a Community Health Education Specialist, CEO, American Delphi Academy, and author of international bestseller Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century - Second Edition Revised and Updated for 2012.
17 of 21 people found the above review helpful.
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How to be happily sick, July 27, 2010
By R. Neufeld
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This book is perfect if you wish to be either sick and at peace, or you wish to know that being sick is your own fault. Building on the cult of happiness, the reason you're ill is either you haven't stopped using the rational part of your mind, or because you haven't let go of your fear, or you won't let the healing take place...essentially it's your fault, and this whole 'medicine' business is an irritation. There are some useful patterns of thought contained in this book pertaining to self-examination and thought, but even if you just focused on these areas you'd still be peacefully at sick - although the way the book is written at some point the fact that you are still sick would point out how inadequate you are. Those that can help themselves...aren't sick.
If anyone you know or love is thinking about reading this book or has it, discourage. Ultimately it's designed to produce Caroline acolytes, and not healing.
14 of 23 people found the above review helpful.
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FABULOUS - a good place to begin or continue, February 9, 2010
By Terri (Ann Arbor, MI)
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So far, this is the best! Defy Gravity is her most comprehensive, easily accessible work. In fact, if I only bought one book by Caroline Myss, this would be it. I have read and/or listened to all of Caroline's work (except for Entering the Castle which I now feel ready for). While I've learned from each, some of her material is easier to absorb than others - and the format makes a difference, even within the same work. For example, I found Anatomy of The Spirit more accessible by CD than in the book.
Caroline Myss is logical, methodical, honest, and cares deeply about helping us all realize our highest potential. She is definitely a "you can pick yourself up by your own bootstraps" kind of gal. She does calls it likes she sees it, freely admitting her own humanity and her occassionally snarky side because she wants you to know YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO THRIVE. She gives you a detailed map and asks if are willing to accept some personal responsibility, then pray to the divine (in the planet, god of your choice, or your best self - Caroline Myss is a big picture person not limited by a religious tradition, though she was raised Catholic), and lastly act on what you know in your heart to be true. Does she dare suggest prayer? Yes. However, this book in no way says "just pray".
Words matter. Caroline Myss knows this. She is daring and pushy - but always with heart behind it so don't worry about intent. However, if the word "pray" is a trigger that trumps all others for you in a negative way, then this is probably not the book for you. If you can expand your definition of prayer to encompass "focus your thoughts and intentions", then you might be able to hear the bigger message, and it is worthwhile. Do you feel that there should be more in your life? Are you having trouble accessing your own intuition - and following its advice? Read on. Defy Gravity ties many pieces together. As I said, I think this is her best work so far. I read it cover to cover, bought extra copies for gifts, and am now about to buy the CD so I can absorb it another way. If you are worried about the money, don't forget about the library - but read it and let Defy Gravity help your spirit do just that.
10 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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Total crapola, October 9, 2011
By oracle1 (Denver, CO)
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The bottom line for Myss seems to be that the Divine is chaotic and that everything happening to you, or that which has happened in the past, is not an accident. The Divine creates circumstances in your life, like child abuse, to help others later. She does not advocate fighting injustice or punishing those who abuse others, but to just see them as in the hands of the cosmic plan. Just accept everything. She sites a case in which someone talked to a Hindu guru, Sai Baba (who is suspected of abusing minors!) and asked why he did not heal sick children. The response? Baba said he can see their karma, and that no one is innocent. He sees what they did in a past life and are being punished for now, so he would not interfere. Wow! I've heard Christians make a similar agrugment i.e. God did this so don't interfere. Talk about brutal!! This is enlightened, spiritual thinking? Further, although this book touts itself as being about healing, Myss makes it clear that healing of any kind is not guaranteed, mostly because either whatever problem you are suffering may have been brought upon you by the Divine, or you are stoping your own healing by not doing as she says you have to do. She also mixes together very incongruent spiritual ideas and disciplines to try and cover all bases. She mixes Catholic mysticism with Kaballah, Hinduism, Budhism, etc. She continually pushes something she calls "graces', but I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.
Myss is arrogant, and considers the real struggles of people to be stupid and their own fault. An example: sites the case of a man with colon cancer "realized during the recovery from surgery that if he returned to his job, he would inevitably suffer a second bout with cancer.....he felt he was being "assaulted" by guidance, yet he was unable to act on it. The idea of quitting a job with nothing else lined up struck him as even more unreasonable than follwing guidance...." Yes, he understood that job=ability to eat, have shelter, etc. He did return to work and died two years later from a recurrence of cancer. She strongly implies if he had listened to his "intuition" and done what his inner guidance told him to do he would not have died. Many people mistake things for causation, and apparently she does too. If he was working in a chemical plant or something, maybe. This is a classic case of blaming people for their own illness so she can browbeat people into following her nonsense. While I do agree that people make decisions that often cause their own problems, her view of how the universe works is not going to help anyone. Here you have another one of those people who berates those of us grounded in the reality of the world as being uninformed and a hinderence to healing others. Don't try to figure out why things happen, just accept it. If science thought in that way many important discoveries that aid mankind would never have been made.
Myss sees herself as some great "medical intuitive", which, in my opinion, is the same as some psychic "cold-reading" people. She berates the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason, saying we need to return to the "mystical" view of the world because reason is not sufficient. She says "We must, it seems, shift to yet another realm of perception, a realm that is beyond conventional reason, in order to maneuver through the problems facing us. We must learn to think as the mystic did....what is impossible in the physical world of reason and logic becomes completely possible in our world of grace, mystical laws, prayer, and divine companionship". So, I want as my companion a Divine that causes great suffering for some "greater good" or created some cosmic plan in which this is how it works itself out? No thanks! In the real world diseases have been cured, wrongs have been righted, and life has been improved for many because of reason. This crap about "mystical laws" is just woowoo, and a philosphy meant to part you from your money.
Fortunately, I got this book at the library and did not expend any funds on the writings of this dangerous woman. Don't expend any of yours.
7 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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Transforming Power of Grace, November 17, 2009
By DrLisaVanAllen
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In Defy Gravity: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason, Caroline Myss writes with clarity and groundedness about spirituality, mysticism and consciousness. Chronic and long term illness are not logical conditions, and yet for centuries men and women have attempted to find answers using intelligence alone. Myss demonstrates how illness can be resolved spiritually, by connecting with the Divine. This book touched my heart and my spirit as Myss tapped into traditional and esoteric spirituality and linked illness with destructive passions and health with relationship with God. I have seen the truth of Myss' work, eliminating the symptoms and need for medication for systemic lupus in my own life this year. Discovering God and the power of grace and reverence has transformed my life. I highly recommend Defy Gravity to spiritual seekers and all those interested in health and healing.
6 of 6 people found the above review helpful.
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Thought-provoking, February 7, 2010
By Julie Clayton ~New Consciousne.. (Portland, OR)
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Author and medical intuitive Carolyn Myss continues to shed thought-provoking and profound light on the mystery of healing--both physical and non-physical in Defy Gravity. She states some evident truths with startling originality and a fierce passion.
The central theme of this book is a discourse on the ways that reason alone cannot deliver us from the dis-ease in our psycho-spiritual or physical being, and the myriad ways that we humans wrestle with this internally. The author addresses mysticism--the missing element from reason--in modern garb, and makes it relevant through real life narratives and personal disclosure. She penetrates numerous habits of thought that keep us locked into our less-than-ness, and illuminates pervading questions of meaning and purpose with revealing insight. She writes with depth and eloquence, and her prose carries us along a winding river of self-revelation.
And yet...I found myself taking exception to some of her philosophical "truths," on guard that there might be an overabundance of religiosity, and losing interest as she seemed to belabor the many salient points being made.
There are gems of wisdom and heart within the covers of this book and I certainly would recommend it; I suspect that my view may not be the popular response. However, for this reviewer, there was too much wading through muddy waters in order to retrieve the treasure, to sustain my single-minded attention.
5 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Great!, November 16, 2009
By Judi Miles (Lubbock, TX)
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bought the book and the audio. They are based on the same, but, the audio is not word for word. I like having the audio in my car and study the book when I'm not driving. lol The book is a little hard for me to read so am taking my time with it so that it soaks in. It really has been very helpful to shed some past issues. Thanks, Caroline!
5 of 6 people found the above review helpful.
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Insightful and thought provoking!, November 21, 2009
By A. Cameron
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I love the discussion of mysticism and grace in this book. It is a new refreshing look at very old concepts. In reading this book I felt I had come full circle from traditional christianity to new thought to traditional christianity but with an emphasis on awe, mystery and grace rather than sin, fear and punishment. I laughed out loud as I realized from my own life experiences how healing lightening up and serving can be. Great book for deep thinking!
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Astonishing piece of insight on healing, December 30, 2009
By Free Spirit (Earth)
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Many books written today carry new thought paradigms worthy of your time. Ms. Myss' new book on healing is one such book.
This book takes its readers well beyond personal affirmations or positive thinking into the realm of mystical states of consciousness. It is a kind of road map which points the way to discover healing by asking us to enter our own `Interior Castles' to be blessed by grace.
Of course, here is the rub, grace is not self-initiated by using affirmations but rather an attribute of the cosmic ordering of the Universe. To be sure, it is a mind-set that represents an openness to live out our lives differently; thus, it surely is about personal awareness and reconnoitering mysterious possibilities of our innate intuition and discovering again our own Soul life.
As Ms. Myss so eloquently notes, this goes against the grain of our domestication process, which early on seeks to crush this awareness so to shift ourselves into an rationality, skepticism, and adversarial norms.
As left brain hegemony grows, takes root over our minds and bodies, and directing our thinking process; what begins to happen is that our intuitive (or mystical) side diminish,they become crippled by the forces of our domestication; everything in our world is set up and allied against us to conform to a way of thinking that is actually inimical to our highest good.
The author is asking us therefore, to reawaken a mode of awareness that has been crushed by the domestication process, and herein we find a hidden path that can be uncovered again taking us back to our original nature, and thus, representing a portal or passageway to our own healing. So in many respects it is simply a matter of remembering our original inner code of our cosmic DNA.
The major theme of Myss' book is recovering Grace. If I am reading the author accurately, grace is the mysterious unfolding of authentic goodness. It is everywhere around us, but since the domestication process has trained us (perhaps even brainwashed us) to create lenses that are clouded over, so we miss, or at least ignore the grace that naturally flows into to our lives. And if this is true (as I belive it is) we are always sabotaging ourselves to our own goodness preferring to follow the domestication process we inherited from our parents along with reinforced social conditioning that represents our cultural norms.
So to recover Grace for the sake or remembering who we are, Myss offers a map that we can employ using simple techniques of awareness. As we use the techniques, the domesticated lens begins to clean itself so that it is no longer a filtration system keeping the natural flowing Graces expunged from our experience, but rather begins to open the portal again and allowing it to flow inward into our experience. When this happens, our lives enter another dimension of possibility where limitations are no longer a factor to the healing we are capable of invoking into our individual and collective experience again.
Now this is not a type of wisdom that is readily accepted into our collective moment of naysayers, or fear based conditioning, even - and I am reluctant to mention - in many new thought models. Myss' takes her readers well beyond certain New Age thinking that our limited and impotent.
The author's model requires work with a capital W. It is a full time program asking us to rise above a preoccupation on our individual wounds. She is asking us to put that engagement behind us, to grow up and mature, but at the same time telling us not to lose the inner innocence from which flows our creative inspiration of wonder, awe, and mystery. So the process is both to lose oneself and find ourselves at the same moment.
If you are up to it, and tired of having your hand held by others, this book may be one of the most important tomes written in modern times. It certainly is not for the faint of heart among us.
4 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Defy Gravity: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason, October 2, 2010
By Tiffany
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Caroline Myss was on point with this book. The illumination of this writing is awe inspiring. The way she brings her readers in to examine themselves and understand the root cause of what is ailing them from a spiritual perspective is an attempt at the evolutionary wonder of the mind. Is this truly, according to Abraham Maslow's theory, the ultimate in self realization? I especially appreciated the way in which she draws a parallel between the seven deadly sins representing darkness and the seven chakras (in yoga the energy centers) representing the light. This should become a movement for the rest of the world to follow because we are experiencing a paradigm shift. This type guidance will help the shift move for the better.
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Workbook for Deep Healing, November 26, 2010
By alice@lifeforcenatural.com (Seattle, WA USA)
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Ms Myss has a way of telling the absolute truth in ways that are so helpful. Her message of hope combined with excellent tools or "things to do about it" are effective. I expect this will provide the next effective healing step for those who have tried everything else to no avail. Bless Ms. Myss's intuitive insight.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Defy Gravity, November 10, 2010
By Howard J. Vandersluis (Moline, IL)
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This book was delivered promptly in perfect condition.
"Defy Gravity" explains how processes of healing outside medical science can be understood through exploration of metaphysical interactions which operate under the theory of quantum physics rather than traditional Newtonian physics.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Some confusion on Myss part of the Catholic churches evolution, August 24, 2010
By Reader (USA)
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I like how Caroline Myss uses the chakras and puts a structure to her explanations but there is a fact she seems to be unaware of and should delve into regarding how the Catholic church is a dynamic structure led by the Holy Spirit through Pope John Paul when he put the Theology of the Body program together if Myss knew this she might not make remarks such as the Catholic church is the reason for our shame of the body. No the Catholic church teaches us not to flaunt the body yes b/c it leads some to shame in abuses maybe sexual abuse or self abuse and can lead to disrespect of the body which is ultimately not a good place for the Holy Spirit to dwell. When the Holy Spirit can not dwell evil does and the loss of God's grace is apparent in that person's life. In fact many sell their soul to Hollywood based on the prostituting themselves for profit. The Catholic church's aim is not to shame but has been used by some in shame such as the pedophiles to pervert the teachings of the Catholic church then you are listening to those who perverted it. But the fact is that the Catholic church has many tools of wisdom which Myss uses to her benefit but you can NOT take and then spit on who has given you those tools. Our "doctors of the church" specific saints given the titles of doctors of the church are not easily bestowed upon them. Therese of Avila who Myss relies heavily on in all her writings and interweaving the chakras which are basically the same and more than likely just repackaged. People have no idea the good influence of the Catholic church has but instead look to exploit and pervert the goodness by selling and repackaging it. While I do feel Caroline is giving some credit to Therese of Avila she takes away from it by saying "Catholic Church has made us ashamed of our body" No the church didn't do that and that statement is a misleading statement and a damaging statement and a misinformed statement. Our church is led by the Holy Spirit and that is why after all the sexual abuse that was revealed Pope John Paul spread his balm thru Theology of the Body and our children in Catholic schools are being taught this. IS the church immune to influences of evil yes but it will never destroy the church it is turned to good by our Lord which is what happened in the sexual abuse scandel the development of Theology of the Body by our leader Christs Vicar on earth. The church is a dynamic institution it is not stagnant in anyway shape or form in the way Myss makes it seem. I don't think she does any of this consciously but is indoctrinated to think this way by those who oppose and want to undermine the church by forces of evil and you CAN NOT believe in grace with out evil no matter how much the devil wants to not to see him and to say he doesn't exist he does and he is operating through all of us if we don't keep him out thru Gods Grace. So while Myss uses many doctors of the church St John of the Cross, Therese of Avila and others to convey her thoughts she gets a few things wrong and this is where the new age mysticism is dangerous and a vehicle for evil to come through. so I think what Myss has to say is valuable I don't appreciate any undermining of the Catholic church which is the source of all her wisdom. one more note Myss does also give some blame to Hollywood for the ahame of the body which I believe is probably more true. As in the sexual abuse scandal which is all blamed on the church but ultimately the church has 4500 claims of sexual abuse over a 50 year span but yet EVERY SINGLE YEAR there is 20,000 sexual abuse complaints against biological fathers according to the dept of Justice and you can times that by 50 years and I can tell you this that is a pimple that will someday be squeezed and our Lord allowed the persecution of his church to help bring out this fact. Incest is the single most destructive force ruled by evil that is destroying our society and don't think it doesnt affect you. And don't think it doesn't happen in rich families or white families or middle class families it crosses all boundaries. And our church is the leader in changing it and is persecuted unjustly but as Myss says no one is entitled to justice not even our Lord and certainly not his church which he told us would be persecuted over and over for the good of the people but will NEVER be destroyed....the Holy Spirit guides us.
3 of 22 people found the above review helpful.
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amazing, November 24, 2009
By pioneer (Reading,UK)
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This book came at absolutely the right time for me and answered most of my inner questions.I have now ordered another book called `Dark Night of the Soul` because this is what I am actually going through now.If I had not read Caroline`s book I would never have figured out what was happening to me.I am going to purchase her book called Entering the Castle.This lady is amazing and she is a pioneer.Love her.Dark Night of the Soul
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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She's done it again., November 15, 2009
By RevMaryBee (Kansas)
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Caroline Myss once again gives us insight and inspiration to reach higher and yet deeper into our own being. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is seeking to find the answers within.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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She does it again., November 14, 2009
By coachsk (Plano, Texas United States)
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Carolyn Myss has done it again - a book that takes her thinking and intuition one step further. She write so that you can get it and apply it to your own life. It carries further "Entering the Castle".
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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important insight for our world, February 7, 2010
By Kevin D. Schoeninger
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Myss gives an insightful commentary on how we use reason and reasons to support fear and irrationality. At the same time, we dismiss the deeper wisdom and guidance of our spiritual senses. An important message for these times when fear so dominates our consciousness.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Some Reason Required: Know the Earth science we must all share, February 28, 2011
By Lisa Benham (San Fransisco Bay Area)
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I have enjoyed her work in the past, so this audiobook was a disappointment. I am researching spiritual approaches towards collectively healing our pathological relationship with the Earth systems on which we co-depend. While listening, and despite her oddly condescending tone, I was excited to hear her begin to talk quite specifically about my particular area of interest, stated above.
However, Myss's rock-hard statements were so off regarding even the most basic of ecological sciences she was trying to discuss, that her credibility was mortally wounded from then on. For instance, the ozone layer is not a "life form." And yes, an anthropogenic and epoch-scaled tragedy of species loss is already occurring every hour of every day. And yes, this, and many other sobering facts, places human civilization as we know it at some significant and unprecedented risk. But ALL life forms on this planet are not viewed as being at simultaneous, all-or-nothing risk, along with us. That makes no scientific sense. Additionally, it skews yet further our species' lost perspective of humble relationship in the greater scheme of things.
Spiritual discussion and exploration is one thing, and I welcome it. And I don't expect everyone to understand everything about our vast and quickly changing global circumstances. Even the most expert in the many involved scientific fields do not know all, and are equally mistaken if they say they do. But some things really are very well understood.
My compassionate point is this: I fear it may be worse than unhelpful at this crucial time to misstate with such authority things of this magnitude, when what we need, among many other things, is a far broader public grasp of the very good, objective knowledge that is, in fact, available before us. In the current climate - both political and literal - easily refuted wrongness does not help our shared cause toward betterment. Here's to learning and healing well, together.
2 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Caroline does it again, December 1, 2009
By L. Glenn
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I love Caroline's books and this might be the best one yet. But, as always, she is sometimes very hard to follow. There is a lot of good information packed in this book but also a lot that left me saying - what did she say?
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Uplifting and informative, December 1, 2009
By Arthur R. Flint
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If you do not want to read the book this an excellent way to get the messages offered while you do other things.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Defy Gravity, November 30, 2009
By Lover of stories (Vermont)
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Caroline Myss is a very important mystic for our time. She understands life way better than I ever will. I have attended a workshop led by her and was duly impressed with her sensitivity, her common sense, and her powers of understanding. You won't regret having read this book.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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book, December 2, 2009
By Master Home Inspector (Canton, Ohio USA)
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Just started the book. It looks promising. I received it quickly. It was a smooth transaction.
1 of 16 people found the above review helpful.
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Defy Gravity is a must for every Healer, March 10, 2010
By Maggie (Texas)
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Defy Gravity should be on every Healers bookshelf. In the Myss tradition, she takes us to a new higher level. She states that healing is a mystical experience and then convinces us. This book is well organized, explains each of the seven chapter "Truths" in-depth and includes helpful examples of each point she is making.
For me, Myss ties everything together in the last two chapters:MYSS "Defy Gravity and Learn to Reason Like a Mystic" and "Beyond Illness: Living in a Field of Grace" This book is the forefront of healing information - the cutting edge.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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search and you shall find, June 11, 2011
By d waika (OGDEN, UT, US)
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Of all of Caroline's books, I would read this one first. It is an easy start to a long journey of self healing. She is very positive and I have read three of her other books. I find that I can read another of her books at the same time and get a very thought provocing and rich experience. I love how this in not about any single religion.
1 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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John Bowdle, RScP, August 24, 2010
By John Bowdle
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This latest book from Caroline Myss is a winner. I think it is the logical (you'll pardon the expression) outcome of her work Entering the Castle. It is a refined look at mysticism and how one connects directly with God. Her premise is that it is the Age of Enlightenment and its emphasis on reason and rationality that has affected our ability to heal from any one of a number of circumstances. The works of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross are brought up to date and made practical in our modern-day quest for the transcendent. A new look at the Cardinal Sins, as well as the Cardinal Virtues, bears careful reading. I am using this book as the basis for a seven-week discussion group at my church. I highly recommend it.
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Great Book, July 17, 2011
By Camille
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Although Caroline Myss is usually a little too Catholic for my Religious Science tastes, this book has a lot to offer in the way of material for contemplation and personal soul searching. I was in a book group with about 25 others that studied this for 6 weeks, and everyone generally felt that they had made progress in healing on their spiritual journey after doing the exercises. If you were able to make it through Myss' previous book,"Entering The Castle", and still trying to be a bona fide mystic, work on this one.
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Caroline does it again!, March 5, 2011
By Mab
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I have read several of Caroline Myss' books and this is the best. It is not a simple read as it requires several"Did I really just read that?" So take your time and savor this great read ! It has the ability to change your life!
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A must read. And a wonderful gift, February 3, 2010
By J. Nezich
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I purchased this book for myself . Read it , then purchased more for Christmas presents. At least half of the people I gifted have elected to re-read it. I am also on my second reading. It is that good.
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thank you, caroline, for a wonderful book, January 16, 2010
By ben
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caroline myss is a brilliant teacher of truth. she can tap into wisdom and effectively convey it like few others.
HIGHLY recommended.
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Defy gravity, November 18, 2009
By J. Curtin
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Caroline Myss continues to put Spirituality in present day language and examples.
She knows human nature and is able to show us how to Defy gravity and heal beyond the bounds of reason in our everyday life experiences.
Thank you, Caroline!
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search and you shall find, June 11, 2011
By detra waikart (OGDEN, UT, US)
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Of all of Caroline's books, I would read this one first. It is an easy start to a long journey of self healing. She is very positive and I have read three of her other books. I find that I can read another of her books at the same time and get a very thought provocing and rich experience. I love how this in not about any single religion.
0 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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I just can't get through it, February 6, 2012
By Mistli78 (Chicago, IL)
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This book seemed so interesting to me & I really tried to finish it but I just couldn't. I made it to the middle of the book & was still waiting for it to get interesting. I just didn't want to waste any more of my time. It is way to hard to follow. She would make a good point & then I would get lost again. Someone else mentioned it being written in a very unorganized manner and I would have to agree.
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Defy Gravity, September 3, 2011
By cchralpha
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Myss explains how to learn to use intuition for making decisions, by listening to what we are getting 'from the heavens' and from other people. An important book for spiritual development in this logical world.
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spiritual healing, March 11, 2010
By Marcia Roth (WI USA)
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I got this book to take me beyond the bounds of physical healing. I want to get to a higher level in my spiritual healing.
0 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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