Customer Reviews

Creating a Charmed Life: Sensible, Spiritual Secrets Every Busy Woman Should Know

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I have savored each and every page of Creating a Charmed Life. After reading Shelter for the Spirit, also by Victoria Moran, I was delighted that I would have another chance to experience her warm and inspiring prose. What makes this writer such a prize is her ability to truly get inside the heads of her readers. So often we forget what we have read and instead of applying what we have learned we are left wondering what it was exactly that we spent our time doing. With her books, particularly her charming latest, it is easy to infuse her philosophy into your own life. I actually remember lines from Creating a Charmed Life that, indeed, are helping me find more joy in my everyday. In addition, Moran¹s practical approach to life and all of its challenges enables readers to apply her principles to a variety of situations. Unlike other books that promise spiritual release through dusting or doing the dishes, Moran offers tips that can be embraced into a more realistic life. She feels like a soulmate to me. This is a book to keep on your night table. It¹s also an essential girlfriend gift.

Ok, I admit I found the books title interesting, so I opted to buy the book and am glad I did. Started reading it while getting my car services which was to have taken half an hour but ended up taking two. So I sat and read various chapters of the book whose titles perked my interest.

First chapter that caught my interest is titled Acquire Discretion, which is right on target and in my opinion should be required reading for most Americans who in an age of blogs and tell all television might do well to acquire an art the Europeans know and practice well. As the author notes beginning on page 33 'Discretion is the art of restraint. People who have it do fewer foolish things, when they do behave foolishly, they don't plaster the news on a billboard. .... When a woman has discretion, her selfhood is marked by clear boundaries that ask for and almost always get respect'.

Her chapter on Watch Your Words is something that some of us know and practice and should be required reading for anyone who speaks without reallly thinking first. It might well 'cure' your problem if you are apt to gossip, or even say things that are deemed negative about what you can do vs what you do not want to do.

Ask for What You Want continues along the same lines and will be helpful for those who beat around the bush or play word games. If someone asks you a question don't spend ten minutes talking around the bush but spend one minute getting to the point. If someone asks you how they can help, speak up and be specific!

Another great chapter of hers is titled Be Specific. This is something I learned when I read another great book titled Write It Down Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It -- by Henriette Anne Klauser which got me to writing in a journal around the time we needed to move but were not sure what we wanted. By writing and speaking specifically about what one wants, needs and believes saves time and energy and in the end produces satisfying results.

There are so many excellent pieces in this book that I in considering buying extra copies to share with friends who need some wisdom in their life. Am just so glad I bought the book and could easily share what I like about each piece but encourage you to buy a copy for yourself.

This can be useful: to keep this book on your shelf and open it to a fun suggestion at random. It lists ways to treat yourself as a way of reminding yourself to be good to yourself at regular intervals.

But it may only work if you're a very girlie kind of gal: this is something I don't usually notice unless it's very pronounced as it is here. The author's idea of a good time is to dress up with hat and gloves and call all her best girlfriends and go out for a traditional English tea and then to get pampered at the neighborhood spa. I myself would find that a total ordeal!

So, even though she has some good insights, she and I don't have much in common, and this book struck me as more outer-oriented and materialistic than her Lit From Within book, which I would recommend, and which concentrates on inner peace.

I started reading a borrowed copy of this. Now I can't wait to have one I own and keep it close at hand. Each 2-3 page essay presents an idea for finding the balance and joy that most of us seek in our lives. There are 75 of these concepts in the book and it covers many of the irritations of modern life.

For example, one discusses coexisting gracefully with the unresolved. One titled "Stand on Ceremony" talks about elevating activities to a ceremonial level to enrich your daily routine.

Another seems mundane, "Make the Bed," but she writes about the standard that sets for your day and the reader sees how a small action makes a difference in life. The examples she gives are very applicable to ordinary working people.

What a great book! I'm anxious to sample her other titles also.

I'm not a big fan of self-help books, and usually avoid them like the plague. However, I recently heard Victoria Moran speak at a convention on women's health in Cincinnati, and was enthralled by her - both by her youthful, serene personality and the substance of her speech. She is an adept storyteller, and I was on the edge of my seat during her speech. It almost seemed like she was speaking just to me. So I picked up a copy of this book at the convention, and after reading it through, it now has a permanent place of honor by my bedside. It's a beautiful book, and shows women a way to give tribute to themselves in what they do, and how they do it. There's something about her writing and philosophy that is very appealing.

Since then, I picked up a copy of "Younger by the Day," which I just began and am loving it. It is especially hitting home for me, since I just turned 50 when I began reading it. Eventually I would love to have all of her books stacked in a pile by my bed. They are rejuvenating for the mind and spirit, and they make me feel good about myself. I would also recommend visiting her website at www.victoriamoran.com.

Creating a Charmed Life is a series of 75 essays, each exploring an idea that will pave the way to a positive, life-affirming habit. Each essay is about 3 pages long, starts with a catchy title and a quote. Examples: "Get Ample Shine Time", "Practice the Vacation Principle", "Stop to Realize", "Honor Your Cycles" and "Breathe"!
I enjoy Victoria Moran's style; it is beautiful, fresh and very friendly. The book is full of insights and wisdom, and will direct you to many positive habits that will make your life happier, easygoing and fulfilled.
Victoria Moran gave us, busy women, a gift by writing this very useful book. Reading it is obviously not enough. Put these "sensible spiritual secrets" into practical use, and enjoy a charmed life.

Life is what you make of it and most of our lives look like a great big 'To Dos' list, not exactly what makes a charming life. This author is gifted with words and delicately points out areas where small changes can greatly enhance the quality of day-to-day living. The book is not short on suggestions either, just pick up the thick tome. Definitely a worthy book for women who want to find charms in their lives. The treats are there; it's up to you to pull them out from the muck of everyday and let them shine. Share this book with your friends; they'll thank you.

I loved this book; so easy to read, and yet so thoughtful and realistic about how any person can actually include spiritual principles into the activities of living each day. This is a book I refer to over and over again. The author obviously "polishes her own soul," and we are all the richer for her sharing her secrets with us.

I love a book you can open anywhere and get a shot of inspiration. This book makes you feel like a charmed life is quite within your own reach. Victoria has nestled each "tip" in a wonderful bed of stories and suggestions that inspire and enlighten. What a fun and useful book!

I read one chapter of this little book (about 3 pages)every morning, and I've found it's a perfect way to start the day. Victoria Moran writes with passion and compassion, and each chapter offers a concrete way to improve your life in small, practical ways that don't overwhelm at all. Her words aren't going to change huge portions of your life... but they will change the ways in which you look at your life and approach each day. Over time, these small adjustments add up into greater peace and happiness - not because the world is different, mind you - your kids still have whiny days, and your boss can still be irrational.... but taking the time to restore yourself (even just by reading for 10 minutes) makes a huge difference in how you deal with those things.

Mostly, the advice deals with how to live fully in the present moment, appreciate the small things (like a cup of good coffee or the touristy things in your town that you take for granted). The big key for me is that she's never 'preachy' and doesn't use language that assumes shared religion or spirituality. She just writes as if she's a friend saying something profoundly - and simply - wise.

That's worth 10 minutes of anyone's day, in my opinion. This is going to be my new 'small gift' to have on hand for anyone at anytime.