Art Meditation PB

I bought this book about ten years ago and I only read about a chapter or two of it. The difficulty I had with this book was not that I didn't understand what he was talking about, it was that I couldn't follow the suggestions Goldsmith was making. Joel Goldsmith suggests that when you meditate, you do not ask God for anything...nothing! And that's a very hard thing for most of us to do. Even when we think we're not asking God for things, we usually are. And it's not that I'm against asking God for things because I am of the opinion that "God loves to be used" but not during meditation...especially not during meditation! Meditation is for the sole/the soul purpose of letting God be God in you. It's about letting the peace, the love, the joy well up from within and take over. Meditation is about being true to your True Self and letting the veil that "separates" the seen from the unseen drop away and realize with real eyes that everything is One. I don't think this book is neccessarily for Christians as one reviewer said it was. A lot of the terminology is undeniably Christian, but if you are open enough to read this book, you're probably open enough to know that just because they may be Christian words, Christianity does not own them. Truth does not belong to a particular religion. Truth is an ultimate that every person must discover for themselves and it can be done by reading this book and attempting to do what it suggests. May we let God be God in us, as us in all that we think, do, and say. May our only prayer be a prayer of thanks and may we dwell only on God's Perfect Kindom when we meditate.

This book is a life-changer. Joel Goldsmith presents a down to earth spiritual path that is genuine, universal, and not "religious". Joel uses the context of the Bible and Christian understanding to go much deeper into the true meaning of the Kingdom of God and how we can find our own connection to the Divine. I particularly resonated with the concept that one can follow only one principle (ie. love or peace...) and if we steadfastly meditate on that aspect our whole spirit gains insight and understanding.

I first read this book in 1973, I will never forget the day, when light dawned on my consciouness and I comprehended what Joel Goldsmith meant when he wrote; "God is individual Being". That day changed my life. I have since read everything Joel Goldsmith has written and highly recommend "A Parenthesis in Eternity" I also was very fortunate to hear, on tape, his last lecture. I have been a student of religion, philosophy and mystism for over 30 yrs and of all my readings, I have yet to disagree with anything Joel has written.

As with most of his work, The Art of Meditation does an excellent job of illustrating Joel Goldsmith's approach to prayer and meditation.The key to happiness, says Joel, is to make conscious contact with the presence of God within. Prayer and meditation can be excellent assistances in this regard.The Art of Meditation isn't so much a "how to" book as it is a "why to" book. After years of diligently praying and meditating, Joel Goldsmith himself received inumerable insights and helped thousands of people to heal.Highly recommended, along with almost all of Joel's other work.

If you are looking for a way to connect with your inner self, and your religious background is Christian, look no further. I have read books on Buddism, Zen(what is it?)and other Eastern style "religions". Joel S. Goldsmith speaks to the heart of all who are looking for that connection within and have an understanding of the Bible. After all, there are many messengers, but the Message remains the same! Why retrain your brain