Wayne Dyer is the bestselling author of more than 20 books and has a doctorate in counseling psychology. At the outset of this paperback, he writes:
"Spirituality is from within, the result of recognition, realization, and reverence. My personal understanding of spiritual practice is that it is a way of making my life work at a higher level and of receiving guidance for handling problems."
Dyer turns to the writings of Patanjali, a Yogi mystic who wrote sometime between the fourth century B.C. and the fourth century A.D. He takes five of his aphorisms and uses them as a foundation for seeing a spiritual solution to every problem:
1. Identify yourself beyond ignorance.
2. Calmness is the peace of God within you.
3. You create obstacles, you do not sin.
4. Be steadfast in abstaining from falsehood.
5. Be steadfast in abstaining from harmful thoughts and acts.
Dyer then proposes that everything is energy and that faster vibrations means getting closer to "spirit." But in our spiritual evolution, it is necessary that we slow down. We can do this by meditation and other practices to ease the mind. The author quotes the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan: "The solution to the problem of the day is the awakening of the consciousness of humanity to the divinity within." The awareness of our infinite nature puts things in perspective and we see:
"If my message to the universe is 'What can I give?' or 'How may I serve?,' the message I receive from the universe will be 'How may I serve you?' or 'What can I give you?' Then I experience the magic of sending generous thoughts and energy out wherever I go."
The second half of this book focuses of the famous prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi which begins "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." Dyer dissects each line and sees it as very practical advice for implementing spiritual solutions. Here's one of his suggestions for becoming an instrument of peace:
"Practice thinking peace. Remember, you become what you think about all day long. How often do you clutter your mind with thoughts of nonpeace? How many times a day do you say out loud how terrible the world is? How violent we have all become? How uncaring we seem to be? How racist we are? How little the government cares about us? All of these thoughts and their expression are indications that you have become trapped in a nonpeaceful mind and, therefore, a nonpeaceful world."
Dyer maintains that there is a spiritual solution to every problem when we can learn to follow Saint Francis and sow peace, love, pardon, faith, light, and joy. These practices will serve as antidotes to turmoil, hatred, injury, doubt, despair, and sadness.
