Monday Blogcrawl

I have been absolutely immersed in a self-help book in recent days, y ou won't be surprised to hear. And what is the book? Dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp's simply brilliant The Creative Habit. You really must read it. And in the meantime, here is some more self-helpey stuff from the net this past week:

Do we want the answer or the solution?

• A Letter to those who feel hopeless about life 
• Why kindness has repurcussions
• David Harman does a  video review of Rob Yeung's E is for Exceptional!
• A review of Pragmatism: A Reader, which is edited by Louis Menand, who wrote the quintessential history of the Metaphysical Club
• The Prosperity Gospel is taking Zimbabwe by storm
• Self-help writer Alison Patton joins the anti-optimism bandwagon
• Simple Mindfulness urges us not to let our passions die 
• Cheryl Richardson offers some advice on how to start the day
• A fabulous affirmation from Louise Hay 
• A blogger writes about studying self-help books 
• A sculptor is inspired by Tama Kieves

Monday Blogcrawl

I wish I could stick to a schedule, I really do. I am brilliant at planning schedules, writing them down, organising them to the last minute, and then completely disregarding them. So, instead of sticking to my last plan, here are some self-helpish things from the past week:

• Louise Hay shows us her apple tree
• The Science of Mind Creed
• Spirit Voyage Blog explains the Throat Chakra. And here's a kooky Crown Chakra activation meditation on Youtube
• Doreen Virtue continues to take us through our Angel Detox during the month of September. Kevin Hunter gives us a nice roundup of the month-so-far here. And here's her video oracle card reading for the week. And here she is explaining the enigmatic Indigo and Crystal children
• Lakshmi Chaudhry writes in Firstpost about why Indians feel attracted to Western prosperity cults
• Someone is reading subliminal advertising messages in The Secret 
• Dr. Wayne Dyer underlines the basic New Thought message: we are what we think. And here's a review of his most recent book, Wishes Fulfilled. There's also a new movie inspired by him 

Monday Blogcrawl

When I worked at a New Age bookstore, one of the big sellers every year was Louise L. Hay's page-a-day inspirational calendar. Last year, at the Hay House I Can Do It! Conference I bought one for myself and one for my mum. It was the first time I'd ever owned one, and I did enjoy reading a new positive affirmation every day. My mother, too, loved it, and this year the first thing we did when we arrived at the 2012 conference was get our copy of next year's calendar. During the conference, Cheryl Richardson said she buys 100 copies every year to give away to friends, so it seems that plenty of people love this little calendar. Today's says "There is a new spring in my step," so let's spring into the internet to see what's been happening in the world of self-help:

• Self-help powerhouse Dr. Joe Vitale talks about the power of the Mirror Technique, and the influence of Claude Bristol
• Oprah favourite Mark Nepo has a new book (at least, I wasn't aware of it till now) called Seven Thousand Ways to Listen. Here is a video of him talking about it
• Co-inside presents 10 books that will change your life
• A new study says that public affirmations of positivity will help you deal with chronic pain
• Louise Hay becomes an increasingly legendary figure, and A Celebration of Women gives us a very nice overview of her career and work
• Who's the bigger neanderthal - Tim Ferriss or Tucker Max? I don't know if this is serious or not, but it's fun - from Koanic Soul
• This month Doreen Virtue launches her Angel Detox. And Heal Your Life has Doreen advising us how the Archangel Raphael can help us to heal
• Maitri Bhavana is cultivation of the mind, a Buddhist concept, and The Times of India has a nice article on how we can cultivate unconditional love

Monday Blogcrawl

When I stroll around Sydney I often note the number of churches that have closed, the buildings turned into something else. I suppose it is inevitable; the western world has ceased to be interested in joining, and communal worship seems to be one of those things we have left behind. But still, sad to see whole communities disappear as their members enter nursing homes and their buildings fall into disrepair. I should start a theodiversity movement which seeks to restore forgotten sects and cults and ensure a diverse religious landscape. In the meantime, here are some things that might interest you from the World Wide Web:

Lots of argument this week about the behaviour of Buddhist monks in Thailand

• An ancient Buddhist trail in Shanxi province in China. Meanwhile, Peter Hannam at the Sydney Morning Herald suggests tourists visit the ancient Buddhist sites of Henan.
• Reincarnation Stories brings us a nice little rundown on reincarnation in popular culture.
• Ebay gets nervous about witches, with sync.co telling us they are about to ban the sale of hexes, potions and other things witchy.
• America is on continually shaky ground when it comes to interfaith religions, and Eboo Patel wants to get kids of different religious backgrounds together - from Stanford Social Innovation Review.
• The seven laws of attraction spelled out.
• Quest books has an interesting-looking new title on people who have left their church communities behind.
• A hidden camera goes inside the top-secret prayer circle at the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City - fascinating!
• Looks like Lisa-Marie Presley has abandoned Scientology - the Village Voice brings us details.

Monday Blogcrawl

A day never goes by when I don't employ at least some of the advice of Dale Carnegie. But more and more I am realising the wisdom of his advice to listen twice as much as you speak. I am by nature talkative, and I am also a showoff, so am inclined to babble. But when I am quieter I have realised that I am more interesting and people trust me and like me more. So this month I am trying to be quieter and to make more of an effort to listen and to remember what people tell me. Here are some interesting self-help-ey things from the web from the past week:

• The Miami Herald has self-help critic Micki McGee writing about the recently deceased Stephen Covey and comparing him to Karl Marx
• Tom Chatfield is one of my newer obsessions, and on the BBC Future blog he discusses the seriousness of Twitter conversations and their potential repurcussions
• Buddhism seems uniquely suited to Geekdom, and Megan Quinn reports on a Buddhist Geeks Conference in  the dailycamera
• At Social Media Today Brian Cugelman has updated How To Win Friends and Influence People for the social media world
• A fascinating piece on Mary Baker Eddy's cars at The Mary Baker Eddy Library
• I've just discovered I am quoted in the latest Doreen Virtue book, so here is some of her daily guidance from the angels, from the You Can Heal Your Life website
• The Dale Carnegie training people offer some advice on how to overcome past mistakes

Recently deceased self-help superstar Stephen Covey (photo AP)

Monday Blogcrawl

I wonder why I can't stick to any particular schedule. I am brilliant at dreaming them up, but when it comes to actually sticking to them,  then forget it. Please send me suggestions and solutions :-) Until then, here's a week of what's happening in self-help:

• Stephen Covey, author of 80s mega-seller 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, died at 79
• The prolific Joe Vitale writing on the "unseen helpers" who help build success
• Some great vintage footage of Ernest Holmes talking about the power of the Universe (video)
• A New Age group in Australia in trouble for selling special mixes of herbs
• Controversy over people burned during the infamous Anthony Robbins firewalk. Famous self-help critic Micki McGee writes about it here
• University of Oxford blog questions the authentic self