Customer Reviews

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

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Although this book was published in 1977, it didn't find its way to me until the mid 80's. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." No truer words were ever spoken, at least not in my life.

I've read this book over 30 times in the last 15 years, and I never fail to find something new to learn from it. I've given countless copies away to friends who then give copies to their friends.

When "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" was first published, an elderly relative told me Bach was the devil incarnate. Imagine what she'd say about THIS one!

I've not had the good fortune to run across a Donald Shimoda-like character, but I think I'd be ready to hear what he said.

Two quotes from Shimoda's 'The Messiah's Handbook and Reminders for the Advanced Soul' are worth repeating:

Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet them than your acquaintences will know you in a thousand years.

and

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life....Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.

This book has been a great gift to me and I'm thankful it found me!

Enjoy!

This is a powerful book and the Messiah's book is full of great insights. I got a little more concrete spiritual help from the book An Encounter with A Prophet, but this book Illusions inspires me to a belief in no limitations. I do not know if these levels are attainable, but it sure feels good to believe that way.

Richard Bach's classic is one of the very first self-development/spiritual books I ever read, and 15 years later it still compares very favourably with the best of the rest. There is profound truth and subtle humour on nearly every page, and I strongly recommend this beautifully written book to anyone who has not come across it yet.

The author meets stranger and fellow pilot Donald Shimoda and the story unfolds. About a third of the way through Richard starts reading the "Messiah's Handbook" which is quoted liberally from then on. It contains various pearls of wisdom.... "You teach best what you most need to learn", "Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours" and (one of my favourites) "You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it however".

The chapter where Shimoda and Richard visit the cinema to discover the meaning of life is a high point and the twist at the end of the book is absolutely brilliant. Enlightenment!

...the master calls a butterfly."

How many times have those words touched my soul? Every time I have lost my way, I have read Illusions. And it has reminded me that things happen for a reason, that I have created the mess I got myself into, and that I have the power to make things better if I truly want to.

We all create situations for ourselves that keep us safe, protected, and bored. This book reminds you that you don't have to stay in that little world you've created. It is ok, and even expected that we break out of that from time to time. "In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."

I love the parable in the beginning of this book about the creatures at the bottom of the river who cling because clinging is all they know. And the one creature who was brave enough to let go was dashed upon the rocks. But then he rose up with the current, and drifted on at a higher plane than he had been on when he clung as he was told. I spend every day reminding myself to let go.

I've probably purchased and given over 50 copies of this book to people who don't seem to understand the power they have to change their own lives. This book was originally published in 1977 and its still around 30 years later, that tells you something. The first person I helped with it was me. The theme of the book is personal power. The point of view is "What if Jesus has just said 'No'!" to his calling as the Messiah. Ever think about that? He did have a choice you know, otherwise there would have been no need for temptations to infest his short life. That being said, this book is nothing about any church or even the point of view of a particular faith. Its about a guy who incarnates as a Messiah, but just says no to that calling, thus becoming a loner and a wanderer because people keep finding out about his powers. He runs into a cynic (the author) and the two decide to pal around together. It's a must read. I've read it half a dozen times myself and you don't need a high school degree to understand it. If you are stuck (job, relationship, drugs, alcohol, whatever) and are unhappy, this little book will get you all the answers you need to change that condition. You probably will not realize the full extent of its teaching until later, but this is Bach at his best. If I had one book to recommend, and could only choose one book in the world, I would choose this one. That's right, even before the Scriptures, because this book people will read and understand. This book isn't full of thee, thou, thy, and begot. It's simple to the point fiction that's a fun read. I first read this book in 1984 and still learn from it. I also captured 3 college degrees along the way, a beautiful wife and two lovely children. Not things my parents would have predicted based on my childhood antics. Jesus said "love they neighbor as thyself" as the second of the two primary commandments of his teaching. It is in that light that I give this book to others and hold it in such high regard in my review of it to you.

But are you going to pick up the phone? Reading through these reviews it seems either you love this book or you hate it. Although why someone would spend time writing a review they felt mediocre about seems a bit unreal. True, the words in this book can seem trite, meaningless to "reality" and, even worse, a waste of time. But then you realize...he admits it. All throughout the book he tells you again and again that these words are just a phone call, YOU have to pick up the phone. YOU have to do what you choose to. From the beginning parable when the followers are shouting at him to take over their lives and make them better to the last message "Everything in this book might be wrong," Bach makes certain that he never takes away any of the only freedom anyone truly has...the freedom to choose. The book isin reality only words, will you choose to experience your own reality?

The Plot

In this story, "Richard" a biplane pilot, encounters a fellow barnstormer, "Donald", who happens to be a spiritual master and retired "Messiah". As they strike up a friendship Donald teaches Richard the lessons a Messiah must learn.

The Background

This book came out in the 70s when the hippie generation had figured out that drugs and free love hadn't filled the spiritual void that was created when they deep-sixed their parents' religious values. Against that backdrop, this book is sort of a first stab at creating a "New-Age" doctrine.

The Message

By mixing spiritual blurbs ("You seek problems because you need their gifts") with events in the story meant to convey a particular lesson, Bach attempts to explain our own nature and the nature of what we call "God".

The picture of "God" here, is essentially that which mystics of all spiritual paths (including Christian mystics) seem to arrive at, ie.an all-encompassing consciousness that is beyond description and can't be anthropomorphized in the way that we love to do. Donald refers to this God as the "Is". This particular idea is addressed in passing several times but not harped on (what purpose is there in trying to describe something that can't be described).

The picture of humanity is the main focus and Donald tells us that we are all our own Messiahs, that we are all gods but have just forgotten that fact. Thus, our spiritual challenge is to transcend the illusion of our current physical situation and reclaim our true spiritual identities.

Analysis

(Note: I'm a Christian, but believe that when you move beyond a literal interpretation of Christ's words and see the symbolic message in them, it's not too different from what's in this book. But that's a big leap for most Christians and this book will probably make their blood boil).

Two points of philosophical contention for me were:

1) Bach suggests that we are unconnected with others and have absolutely zero moral obligation toward them. More recent philosophical teachings incorporated ideas concerning the interconnectedness of all things which lends a note of compassion that this story simply doesn't have.

2) In the story Donald can defy the laws of nature - i.e. walk on water, levitate, etc. The idea here is that our physical reality is an illusion, nothing more than a lucid dream that we can manipulate to our liking if we will just wake up to the illusory nature of our situation. Unfortunately, this concept is presented in a way that unwittingly replaces the "guilt" of our parents' religion with a feeling of ineptitude. Before, I was a moral reprobate because I lusted over women, but now I'm spiritual moron because I can't levitate a wrench. What's missing here is the fact that we're all on a spiritual journey - some farther along than others and that it's okay to be where we're at - ie. we're not idiots just because we haven't solved the puzzle yet.

Summary

Overall, the story is average and the philosophy warm and fuzzy. More recent books convey similar concepts more completely. Nevertheless, this book was a stepping stone in the ever-evolving American spiritual psyche, and is worth reading for that reason.

Recommendations

"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho - a simple story rich in symbolic meaning for all spiritual seekers.

"A New Kind of Christian" by Brian McLaren - A wonderful, open-minded view of how Christian thought is evolving - for Christians who sense that standard Christian doctrine just doesn't quite add up.

"The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning - A wonderful discussion of the magnatude of God's love - for Christians who have problems or addictions, or feel like spiritual failures, or have been beat up by life.

"Putting on the Mind of Christ" by Jim Marion - for Christians particularly impervious to heresy and willing to read a more involved, serious, and thought-provoking treatment of the symbolic, mystical message of Christ. You won't agree with all of it but it will definitely change the way you think about your own spiritual journey.

I've read Illusions easily 30 or more times. It's a book that should be on everyone's list. And, unless you are a religious zealot, you will surely find the book entertaining and stimulating.

First of all, regardless of the message, the book is very well written and enjoyable. Moreover, it was written long before the "new age" trend and "dime-a-dozen" inspirational stories, so it's not written with the intent to sell you on a new self-help plan.

In this story (as in most of his stories), Bach tries to enlighten readers that maybe life is not as complicated as is often thought. Everyday, from religion to politics, we are constantly presented with the message that life is difficult and you had better follow the highly complex set of rules that governs what you are, where you will go and how you had better get there. In Bach's story, however, the reluctant messiah learns a new perspective. Maybe, he comes to find, he already has the answers to his life, or at least the answers to how to pursue a good life... if he would just stop listening to his pre-conceived ideas of limit and complication.

I highly suggest reading the book. I also highly suggest remembering the book is fiction! Think about the message and concepts. Instead of trying to "vaporize clouds," try maybe to vaporize some of your problems. And, instead of walking the world professing a new faith or perspective on "God" after being inspired by Bach's ideas, try instead to overcome one of your own, preconceived limits, or re-examine what you've been taught about the

Having met Mr. Bach, hearing him speak and reading every one of his books multiple times, I can assure you he is a real person with real ideas. Moreover, I feel sure that he would agree, that he writes "stories" to help people expand their minds. Too often, his work is misinterpreted to be a "gospel." Instead, in my impression, he simply wants to share new ideas, or as he said, "when he get's an idea, it bothers him until he writes it an let's it go..."

We as humans evolve not from one or two ideas, but from a lifetime of learning. Mr. Bach, in my opinion, is one of those highly insightful individuals who has inspired millions to look at life through a slightly different lens. Mr. Bach's Illusions is a fantastic journey - one of many - on the lifelong road of growing as a person.

I hope you enjoy it!

I did, over twenty years ago. I've bought every used copy of this book I've come across; I've given them away to dozens of friends -- especially in their times of greatest need. Whenever my life is dark I go back to this simple story, and it never fails to lift me up and send me back along my spiritual path. I've recounted the "story within the story", of the little creatures, over and over to help people find their way and its never failed to help. I've heard one negative review of this book in twenty years. It was from a cousin who warned my mom against reading this book, saying it was about suicide. Boy! Was she wrong! Bach's trilogy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, There's No Such Place as Far Away, and this wonderful book have been guiding lights. I never tire of reading them. And when you're done, pass them on. We need all the help we can get in our world. (Then read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn for the next step)

Sub-titled The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, the book is written as if it were autobiographical. The protagonist, Richard, is a former writer who hates writing, and so he now makes his living flying around the Midwest in an old biplane, giving 10-minute rides from farmers' fields for $3 each. It's a lonely, but satisfying life ... and then Donald Shimoda, a former mechanic and retired messiah, comes into his life. Donald also makes his living as a flier, and the two men fly together for a while. Along the way, Donald imparts wisdom to Richard as a messiah-in-training.

The idea is that everyone can be enlightened and, thereby, can define one's world accordingly. It's a difficult concept to comprehend, much less put into practice, so Richard relies on The Messiah's Handbook: Reminders for the Advanced Soul, a gift from Donald, to help him along the way. The book is magical: open it to any page and find a pithy maxim which will, in some way, shed light on your day. Those maxims are scattered throughout the book and, collected together, could probably fill one of those teeny giftshop inspirational books. But they're much less meaningful out of context; within the framework of Richard's story, they're rife with meaning.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles editor