What I loved most about this book is finally finding a place that brings the spiritual into the realm of weight-loss in a way that speaks to me. I've known for a long time that food and exercise aren't at the root of weight issues. Food and exercise are simple tools for the instruction of our souls - mind/body/spirit combined. Any book or program that doesn't address the issue on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels has little hope of being effective for making long-term, fundamental change. It's why such a vast number of people who lose weight gain it back again.
The principles that guide the 21 Lessons are different from what I've seen in other places. They are -
1 - Your body itself is completely neutral. It causes nothing; it is completely an effect, not a cause.
2 - Poor diet is not the cause of your excess weight, nor is lack of exercise the cause of your excess weight. The cause of your excess weight is in your mind.
3 - The cause of your excess weight is fear, which is a place in your mind where love is blocked.
4 - Fear expresses itself as subconscious urges, which then express themselves as excessive and/or unhealthy eating habits and/or resistance to proper exercise. The ultimate effect of this - that is, excess weight - will only be permanently and fundamentally healed when the fear itself is rooted out. (page 12)
I have a deeply held belief that each of us is a daughter or son of a loving God. As such, there is at our core a place of knowing who and how we truly are. I believe as we come closer and closer to accepting and living by our Divine Potential, our bodies will follow. I'm not saying that if we're spiritually in alignment that our bodies will naturally be fit, slim, and in perfect health, since body issues can be a rich source for eternal lessons. What I am saying is that as we strive to live closer and closer to who we really are, we can have peace in knowing that any issues with our weight or health that remain, when we're doing our part to care for our bodies, are places we can find personal Divine instruction. Who doesn't want that?
I love these three ideas which this course is a reminder of -
1 - Within you there is a perfect love which is the essence of your true self.
2 - You can forget perfection, but you cannot uncreate it.
3 - There is a way to reconnect to your perfection when you have become confused and forgotten that it exists. (page 15)
The visualizations and journaling exercises in this course are powerful and are ones I'll be holding onto and using again and again. They are useful in helping me strengthen the connection between who I am and the actions I take. It's easier to know than to do anything. The knowing is the first part. Acting in harmony with that knowledge is where real change happens.
Any book that can help me live closer to who I really am is most definitely a tool I want to keep in my toolbox. Be forewarned, this book isn't one you can simply read through and call it good; if you want it to have the impact it's capable of, expect to take some time with it. Take as long as you need. This journey is a quest, not a race.