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Listen to: The Spirituality For Dummies CD of Inspiring Music
Listen to: The Glorious Bhagavad Gita Sung in English
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Watch: The Documentary "Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk"
Watch: Purnadas: King of the Ecstatic Baul Singers
Watch: The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Music Video
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Read: Secrets of Spiritual Happiness
Read: Excerpts from Spirituality For Dummies
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A Modern Quest For Eternal Truth
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Things That Make You Go Oooommmmm
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From the Author, A Story of "Death" and Rebirth:
In April 2017, I discovered that my book, Spirituality For Dummies, was no longer available for sale after 17 years. I accepted the news peacefully, grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with such an iconic brand, and with a smile after my agent said I could republish the content with a new title, as long as I changed the “For Dummies” icons and re-formatted the text.
While writing both the 2000 and 2008 editions, I gave this book all I had with a strong support of grace, creating around 1500 topics and subtopics and assembling previously jotted notes and new inspirations and contemplations into what Golden Door founder Deborah Szekely praised as “a compendium of A-Z outstanding research,” as she personally placed copies in every guest room for the first time in years, each with a note asking her guests to “ignore the title.”
Right after the original edition was published, I received the first of many wonderful messages from readers. Brian loved the book while flipping through pages at his local Waldenbooks, but confessed to being so embarrassed by its title that he took it to the cash register hidden between a Bible and a Koran. That’s when I realized the “Dummies” moniker was going to be an issue for some people and certain topics.
Some folks complained about the word "Dummies" not being positive; a professor was too embarrassed to buy his copy at a college area bookstore in case someone might see him, and one woman told me she covered her book with pretty wrapping paper, after which I created a downloadable cover replacement with the title, Spirituality For Super-Intelligent People.
Even readers who loved the book couldn't buy copies for friends without their gift coming with an insulting suggestion that the recipient was a dummy.
It appeared that certain "basic humanity" topics didn't translate so well into this iconic "how to" series of our time. I'd guess Parenting For Dummies also wasn't a serious baby shower gift as often as its quality probably merited. In my book's case, it appeared that spiritual folks didn't want to read a book that called them a negative word. In fact, Spirituality For Dummies explained why it is better to think of oneself in a positive way, but also invites readers to have a sense of humor and a sense of humility to realize that, when it comes to the infinite dance of Universal Existance, we are all dummies. It is refreshing to note that when I’d mention the book title to spiritually absorbed priests, ministers, monks or swamis, their response would almost universally be, "That's the book for me!"
For years, I’ve asked Wiley to offer this book as a free gift download, because my goal in writing it was to help uplift and improve our world that can sure use some good wisdom and teachings right now, including inspiring quotes by great ones from all traditions.
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