John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions [Hardcover]

Heather Cumming (Author), Karen Leffler (Author), Amit Goswami (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

"I am the happiest man in the world because God entrusted me with this mission."

In John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions, a seemingly average rancher from Abadiânia, Brazil, offers a powerful message of love, compassion, and hope for humanity. João Teixeira de Faria, the healer and medium known as John of God, allows "spirit doctors" to take over his body three times a week to miraculously treat the thousands of people from all over the world who come in need of remedy. John of God has fulfilled his mission as a medium for more than forty-eight years, making numerous pilgrimages around the world. Drawn by the hope of instantaneous healing, over eight million believers have proceeded in front of him throughout his life, as tens of thousands journey to Brazil each year to see John of God and his home, the Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola, which is designed to accommodate hundreds of visitors each day. Despite all the media attention paid to this inter-nationally praised healer, little has been revealed about his personal life. Translator Heather Cumming and photographer Karen Leffler have traveled with John of God and chronicled his life and work. What began as an endeavor to document the testimonials of his remarkable healings has now become the first complete, authorized portrait of his world. Stirring words and vivid photographs -- many of which capture the haunting spiritual energy that surrounds John of God and the Casa -- take us on an affecting and deeply personal journey with the humble medium who offers hope for people with none. The result is an intimate portrait of an ordinary individual in extraordinary circumstances and a reading experience that will bring readers of every persuasion closer to their faith. To learn more about John of God and his mission, go to www.beyondword.com and www.friendsofthecasa.org.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sometime in 1951 João Teixeira de Faria, age nine, rightly predicted which houses in his aunt's neighborhood would be damaged or destroyed by an impending windstorm. Since then, his abilities have expanded to include the channeling of a number of Entities, or spirits. Two of his followers (from the Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola, where he makes his home and performs his healings), Cumming and Leffler, began gathering testimonials and "spirit photographs," pictures that they believe capture the essence of the spirits. The result is a combination history–prayer guide–visitors' primer on medium João and his work in South America and throughout the world. The team-writing approach makes for repetition (though this may also be due to the epithetic nature of the story) and, at times, contradiction. Testimonies come from a wide variety of sources—farmers, doctors, lawyers and even Peruvian officials—and include an equally broad spectrum of experience, from herbal prescriptions to invisible surgeries, crystal bed treatments to physical surgeries. All this purportedly comes from a man who, in his earthly corporeal incarnation, can neither read nor write. Skeptics will not likely be persuaded by this testimony to the Brazilian healer. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Heather Cumming and Karen Leffler bring us into a wonderful world where we learn how the power of unconditional love creates unlimited possibilities, miraculous healings, and hope. John of God's work and the message of the entities are vital to the healing of the planet." -- Sandra Ingerman, author of Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth

"These exquisite descriptions of the process of healing open a window through which one enters another reality. This powerful book challenges fundamental assumptions about the extent to which spirit actively intervenes in our lives. Spirit jumps off the pages and the book will not leave you unchanged." -- Robert Dreyfus, M.D., psychiatrist and healer

"This book is solid and enriching -- an insightful and inspiring book that will help millions of people for years to come. The authors have done a fantastic job of presenting John of God's story with clarity and accuracy. No other book about John of God offers such a rich assortment of firsthand accounts of this remarkable man." -- Bill Hayes, president and executive producer of Figure 8 Films and Advanced Medical Productions, Inc.

"No other book so heartfully describes the private life and personal history of the extraordinary medium and healer known as John of God. Heather and Karen are to be acknowledged for adding more dimension to our view of the benevolent spirits and spiritual healing." -- Emma Bragdon, Ph.D., author of Spiritual Alliances and Kardec's Spiritism, coproducer of I Do Not Heal, God Is the One Who Heals: A Tribute to John of God

"This inspiring book will take you on a journey of self-healing and hope. Your eyes will be opened to how the divine current of love flows to us in order to alleviate personal suffering. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, this is a must-read book!" -- Trudy Griswold, coauthor of Angelspeake: How to Talk with Your Angels and The Angelspeake Book of Prayer and Healing

"John of God is one of the most important documents ever to be written on the capacity of spiritual healing and the metaphysical mysteries that are unfolding in our world today." -- Jenny Lauren, author of Homesick

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words; 1st Atria Books/Beyond Words Hardcover Ed edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582701644
• ISBN-13: 978-1582701646
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one John of God book to buy, April 24, 2007

By 

mark agnew - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions (Hardcover)

Several John of God books have been written, and each has its strengths. This John of God book however is the one to buy with the best all-around picture of the man, his mission, and his extraordinary power. Medium Joao is a humble and private man, but he gave the authors access to his personal life and to the Casa Healing Center that no other author has received.

The Casa in Abadiania, Brazil, is an energy healing center in existence for over 35 years. Miraculous healings are a daily ocurrence there, and people with untreatable diseases travel there from all over the world. This book gives a realistic description of what you can expect when you travel to the Casa, the important rules to heighten your experience, and an intimate picture of the healing medium that makes it all possible.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosa Haritos, PhD CHt, May 24, 2007

By 

Rosa Haritos "Rosa Haritos" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions (Hardcover)

Dear João, esteemed friend, Abadiânia is the blessed site of your illuminated mission and of your peace.
-Dr. Bezerra de Menenzes, channeled by Chico Xavier

Those of us who have traveled to the Casa can readily attest to the truth of the above statement. It does not necessarily matter if we know who the source is or the story behind it. Our understanding of it is gleaned through the lens of our direct awareness, our personal healing experience.

We've appreciated the beauty of the Casa grounds while sitting in the lush gardens or engaged in peaceful meditation at the Overlook; we have felt the immense healing power of the land at the Sacred Waterfall. We can recall countless instances of hospitality from the Casa staff whether it be standing in line to receive blessed soup or waiting in line to be seen by the Entity. We have observed the unceasing dedication of the man known as Medium João and have sat in current with the phalange of loving and compassionate spirits we call The Entities. And we return home eager to share with family and friends: our healing stories, photographs of surgeries performed on stage in the Great Hall, and sometimes bits and pieces of miraculous healing stories of `others'.

But what if we did know more about these `others'? What if we knew Dr. Bezerra de Menenzes is one of the many Entities available to us at the Casa, who during his lifetime was an influential member of the Spiritist Movement, and throughout his years of practice had no set fee for his services, never once turning away anyone who sought medical attention? What if we could read his words, "Doctors who deny assistance to people in need for any reason, especially financial gain, are not worthy to use the title "Doctor of Medicine", and feel the energy behind them?" And while many of us are aware of the amazing paranormal abilities of renowned Spiritist Chico Xavier, a mentor and beloved friend of Medium João, how many of us are know this psychographed (channeled through written words) message was a confirmation that Abadiânia is in fact the one and only site for the Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola? Might a broader context, a wider lens of the healing experience, one that shows us we are all members of a single spiritual family, enhance our own healing? I believe it would.

John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions offers readers this unique vantage point. Heather Cumming and Karen Leffler combine their unique skills and talents to provide us with a captivating, comprehensive account of spiritual healing at the Casa de Dom Inácio. Drawing upon her experiences as a translator and group leader, Heather shares poignant healing testimonials, collected over her many years of service as a translator and guide, from those who have journeyed to be seen by John of God (either in Brazil or his healing trips abroad) and our beloved filhos of the Casa (staff and volunteers). Interviews with Medium João, his wife Ana, their friends and family, offer meaningful insights into the personal life of this remarkable man and his healing mission. We are also privy to Heather's conversations with the Entities, excerpts from her journals, and a thoughtful review of the history and guidelines for healing at the Casa. Yet this is only half the story. Photographer Karen Leffler provides us with stunning spirit photos that capture the energy present at the Casa, the energetic transformation that occurs when Medium João incorporates prior to surgery, and the only authorized photograph of the Sacred Waterfall, one that captures the vibrant energy available to us. In this perfect union of the written and visual, our personal quest for healing is transformed into a quest for collective healing. In the words of the authors,

Bearing witness to the healing process of others dissolves differences and barriers so that in the end, it is not `your' or `my' healing, but `our' healing that allows us to reconnect with that which is meaningful in our lives.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i am a believer, October 6, 2007

By 

chrissy (orange county, ny) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions (Hardcover)

i just had the opportunity to see John of God at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY (his second visit to the U.S.). i did read the book first, and was skeptical but open-minded. the experience turned out to be so personal, so spiritual that i have never felt as close to god and spirit as i did when i was instructed to sit in one of the current rooms to receive a healing. reading the book and of others' experiences, however miraculous, cannot compare to having experienced actually being in his presence. it will leave you with no doubt that he is the real thing. i know certain debunkers have claimed that he does this for the money, but his devotion to his calling in service to others pales to all the ways there are to make money in this world. and if he does make money at it, he well deserves every penny of it and more. he should be a very wealthy man. why is it that the debunkers will cry and point their fingers at miracle workers such as John of God and make claims that they only do it for the money, while doctors are allowed to charge for their services and its acceptable and expected? even miracle workers have bills to pay and need food, clothing and shelter. why should they be expected to do it for free and have to explain to the world what they do with the money they collect (on a donation basis, by the way). god give gifts and talents to musicians, artists and many of us, does that mean we do not have the right to charge for our services? thank you, John of God, for your self-sacrifice and for those that help you at the Casa. If everyone in our world just had a small piece of the godliness of your work, wow - what a wonderful world it would be. i thank you for my healing. god bless.
chris lizzul