The Celestine Prophecy - James Redfield

The Celestine Prophecy is a spiritual adventure, weaving into its fold  beauty, energy, coincidence, auras, psychic phenomena, mystical experiences, engaging the flow...all towards a spiritual awakening.

I'd read this book twenty years back, and did a re-read now. Back then I read it with wonder and fascination, as it was my first exposure to the concept of energy underlying everything, especially being controlled by thought. Today I think I read it as yeah sure, this is what it is, yet enjoyed it as much.

He basically talks about how nothing in life is a co-incidence and how we can tune into the energy of the universe to increase our own energy, and how we can use this energy to have better and more energized relationships, at an individual level and an evolution level.

It was the biggest selling title in the world for three years in a row from 1996 to 1999. And what's best is that it was just word of mouth that turned it into a hyperseller. In fact it was self published, and it's when it started catching on that Warner bought the rights. 

Reactions to it apparently, fell into two distinct buckets; 'It is utter trash' and 'It changed my life'.  I'll undoubtedly fit myself into the latter...... anything mystical has been my thing since I was ten I think, actually even before, considering I was named using the Ouija board by my grandfathers spirit, with my grandmother as medium :) 

The underlying theme is what I found interesting this time round; an emerging humanity-wide consciousness, which kind of fits, it's also what is spoken of in another iconic book 'The Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramahamsa Yogananda. And it so fits the story of all these new age spiritual gurus and the growth of their following.

Like, the 'Art of Living' is having their silver jubilee event next year and they are expecting a whopping 35 lakh people from across the world, and they will all be doing the sudarshan kriya at one place at one time. Imagine the energy vibration that can create. Could be an amazing experience.

The book talks through nine insights that will change the way you look at yourself, your relationships, and the world. It is set in Peru and ,it's made me add Machu Picchu to my 'to see' list. 

The idea of synchronicity was first postulated by Carl Jung, but Redfield revived interest in it by saying that coincidences were happening more often, to a greater number of people, and that they were somehow linked to our evolution as a species.

Start watching for the ones that happen in your life, and the more you become aware of them, and the more you connect to the energy, the more you'll find them happen. Really :)

As the author notes in the introduction, this tale will appeal to seekers who know that "life is really about spiritual unfolding that is personal and enchanting — an unfolding that no science or philosophy or religion has yet fully charted."