11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is only us..., November 30, 2004
This review is from: Balance Point: Searching for a Spiritual Missing Link (Paperback)
Balance Point -- Searching for a Spiritual Missing Link
Joseph Jenkins, 2000
"We are spiritually balanced when we live in harmony with the greater whole - with each other, with all of life, and with the Earth mother." Eduardo
It was particularly significant to me that I received and was immediately drawn to Balance Point just two weeks after 9/11. As stunned as I was by 9/11 and as emotionally devastating as it was and is, I was also immensely grateful that over 6000 souls would agree to leave in such horrific circumstances in order to force our awareness that there is no them, there is only us. I found a similar theme in the Balance Point story regarding the environment. Jenkins teaches us that there is "no away" when we throw out the trash, there is only somewhere else. Joe Jenkins, along with his immediate family, the inimitable Aunt Lucy, Eduardo the Shaman, and the Circle of Sisters lead us on a spiritual quest from Halifax to Montana to Peru. Think James Redfield. Think page turner that you simply cannot put down. Jenkins adventure teaches us as much about our true spiritual connection to the ecology of our Earth Mother as Redfield taught us about our spiritual energy dynamics.
In an interview with Joseph Jenkins after reading this engaging book, I asked him just how much of the story was fiction and how much was fact. His response was "The story is a blending of fact and fiction.... I have been asked by many readers exactly which is the fact and which is the fiction...all of the ecological issues are factual." Jenkins leaves it to us to decide whether we care about the details of the story or the state of the ecology of the earth. If we are willing to step outside ourselves, even for just a moment, the adventure becomes significant only because of the passion and point with which the story is told. Jenkins shows us how quickly our eco-systems are dying out and does not allow us to walk away unchanged.
Balance Point is one of the most well written and beautifully produced self-published books I have had the pleasure of reviewing. The cover is lusciously printed with the gorgeous colors of Mother Earth - deep brown, mellow gold, royal purple. The typeface is easy to read and the chapter graphics are terrific. Joseph Jenkins has compiled an impressive list of resources and short blurbs on how you can begin to change your behavior today and how you can continue to make a difference in all your tomorrows. Jenkins reminds us that in finishing the story we should consider the next step the beginning of our individual mission of symbiotic living. This is a great pass along book! Read it and pass along the good news!
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Kathryn Lanier lives in Colorado with her nine year old twins. She is a freelance writer, editor, and review columnist educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the College of Charleston. She is an internationally published author and works world wide with clients from four continents! She can be contacted for services and workshop information through Innerchange Magazine online.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should Be Required Reading, January 12, 2002
This review is from: Balance Point: Searching for a Spiritual Missing Link (Paperback)
Every once in a while, a book comes along that earns a "front and center" spot in my library. This is one such book.
One of the hardest things we, as human beings, have to do is to face the man in the mirror. Too many of us have been successfully avoiding it for years. Balance Point makes continuing to do so very difficult. While some may be surprised at the theories presented, one would also be hard pressed to deny the facts behind them.
The message this book sends to the world is not new - we're in trouble and running out of time - but rarely have I seen someone hit the mark so precisely when it comes to characterizing and illustrating the responsibility of the human race for our present dilemmas. The only thing sadder than the fact that we are like a cancer killing it's host [the earth] is that continuing to ignore our mirrors will be our ultimate demise.
Balance Point is a fascinating, eye-opening, educating RED FLAG that should be required reading in junior and high school curriculums world-wide.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
balance Point, December 12, 2001
This review is from: Balance Point: Searching for a Spiritual Missing Link (Paperback)
Balance Point is a fantastic read! An eye opening book with adventure and of ecological importance. I for one would recomend it to all high schools as a must read with a strong discussion following. The publication opens the mind, drawing the reader to desire to go further.
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