Customer Reviews

Secrets & Mysteries of the World

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"In this book, you'll read about some of the secrets and mysteries that have greatly puzzled humankind, in some cases for centuries...I've personally visited most of the places where the mysteries in this book originate. I've walked the paths and used myself as a psychic barometer first, and then I've gone back to see if I could prove what I telepathically picked up using research, statistics, eyewitness accounts, and sometimes just good ol' common sense." - Sylvia Browne

The Bermuda Triangle, crop circles, stigmata, the crystal skulls, and spontaneous human combustion are fascinating and puzzling phenomena. As a child, I remember eagerly watching the TV show In Search Of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy. At times frightened, I couldn't sate my curiosity when presented with unexplained mysteries like Easter Island, Sasquatch, and the lost continent of Atlantis. I couldn't get enough of these intriguing subject matters!

Although my interest in many of these types of mysteries has waned over the years, I found Sylvia Browne's new book Secrets & Mysteries of the World to be absolutely irresistible. This is one of those rare books that cross my desk which could be called a real page turner. I looked forward to reading about each phenomenon presented in this book-sometimes reading it during commercials when watching TV! I finished it in a weekend, and learned some amazing facts in the process.

One of the most intriguing subjects in Secrets & Mysteries of the World is that of tulpas. According to Browne, a tulpa is an entity created by an act of imagination. She quotes an excerpt from the book Body, Mind, & Spirit: A Dictionary of New Age Ideas, People, Places and Terms by Eileen Campbell and J.H. Brennan. In the excerpt, an amazing incident is chronicled: a woman was so interested in the concept of tulpas that she set out to create one. Employing intense visualization and concentration, she "created" a benign little monk, similar to Friar Tuck. As time wore on, her vision grew in clarity and substance-a sort of self-induced hallucination. The fascinating part of this story, though, is that her companions-who were unaware of her mental experiment-began to ask about the "stranger" who had turned up at their camp. What began with imagination began to have objective reality.

Sylvia discusses other examples of tulpa creation, including a group of Spiritualists in England (comprised of educated folk like a journalist, scientist, dentist, doctor and a businessman) who "created" a man named Edward Howard. One night, after almost a year and a half of constructing the full scope of Edward's life, the man-in the flesh-appeared to them! This story has been well-documented; in fact, Sylvia talked to a woman named Minnie Bridges, who was a student at the Spiritualist college that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle frequented, and she corroborated that she had also seen Edward. In fact, many area mediums were called upon to get rid of him.

Interestingly, Sylvia considers the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, and even "the devil" tulpas created by mass belief.

Secrets & Mysteries of the World covers mysterious places, strange creatures, unexplained objects, mystic phenomena, and Christian controversies. Among these fascinating subjects, Sylvia discusses Shangri-La, Lemuria, Extraterrestrials, the fairy world, otherworldly maps and instruments, auras, black holes, the Holy Grail, and the lost years of Jesus.

Although Sylvia relies heavily on psychic information gleaned from her spirit guide Francine, she backs up the psychic information with scientific studies and historical research. At the very least, we're offered though provoking theories to these unexplained mysteries-as well as why we're here on this Earth and why many things happen as they do. Sylvia also provides the names of books, researches, and scientific studies so one can do further research on their own-and make up their own mind what to believe.

At 237 pages, Secrets & Mysteries of the World is absorbing and easy read. For those of you fascinated by phenomena like the pyramids, the Shroud of Turin, and the Ica stones, you'll be highly entertained-and given food for thought about the origin and existence of these mysteries.

I usually enjoy reading Ms. Browne's books, but I must say even I (one of her biggest fans) was disappointed in this book. The only reason I give it 2 stars is because SOME of the information was interesting, however I could have found most of it online! In fact she refers to websites throughout the book. I thought the book would contain more psychic information than it did---just a few tid bits from Francine. It seems as though she compiled some data from online and wrote the book on one of her flights. I'm sure she did more research than that, but the book just reads like it was thrown together in a rush. If you are interested in this book, I highly recommend just getting it from the library.

I usually enjoy Sylvia Browne's books; however, I was somewhat disappointed in this one. The title lures you in, promising great secrets of the universe to be revealed. Well, there were no great secrets, just a few comments from her spirit guide, Francine. Most of the information was just from stuff she researched on the internet, which I'm sure was a lot of work but nothing we couldn't do ourselves if we had the time. The one section I found of most interest was "The Lost Years of Jesus." I found it to be the most credible of all the chapters and gave me a lot of new information and new ideas for my own research. But as far as revealing all -- no, it didn't do that.

When I ordered this book it had several 1 & 2 star reviews that have since been removed. I ordered anyhow because I have one of Brownes books I fairly found interesting. After reading this book twice there is no doubt in my mind that the folks leaving all of these 4 & 5 star reviews are either folks who work for her, related to her, and/or psychic groupies of hers.

This will be the last book of Brownes I waste my hard earned money on. The only secret and mystery uncovered here is Brownes claims of Francine telling her where to go to meet with space aliens. Other than that, nothing new is in this work. She states Atlantis is off of Florida. WoW! What a secret! She states that Easter Islands statues were to scare people off! Ohhh, what a mystery!

Any sane person over the age of 7 should have one major question for Browne. Why on earth doesn't "Francine" direct you somewhere to where you can get 100% proof of your encounter claims? Save your money, if you feel you must read it wait until your libary gets it.

This is the biggest load of bunk I have ever seen masquerading as a non-fiction book. The scary thing is that people are actually paying for this pile of rubbish.

I love this book and the way Sylvia wrote it. I did not read it from front to back. Because of the way she wrote it, I was able to read the chapters I was most interested in first. But I did read the whole book and it was great. I love the way she writes all of her books. I can understand them and I never feel it is over my head. I would recommend this book to everyone. Like she says just take with you what you want and leave what you don't.

This book is vaguely entertaining, as it does offer some unique perspectives on many of the ancient myths and legends of humanity. However, that perspective is often colored by the author's apparent desire to prove just how incredible she is. Often, her explanations for mysterious phenomena have no resemblence whatsoever to common sense or scientific reality. And while I am well aware that science doesn't have all the answers (I am a witch, after all), I still expect theories to be based on some sort of circumstantial evidence. many of the theories (portrayed as statements of fact by the author), come across as elaborate delusions. For people with a passing interest in supernatural phenomena, this book is a good start. But for those of us who have been studying these topics for a while, there is nothing of value here.

I got this book with the hopes of learning something, and getting a different perspective on the topics discussed. What I ended up with was a book I found myself laughing thru. She is constantly refering to what "Francine" and "Grandma Ada" said... and I found myself thinking "OOOOHHHHH.... well, it simply MUST be fact then if Francine and Grandma Ada said it was true!!" (note the sarcasm?!?!) It was ridiculous! The statements that she passes off as explainations, and she doesn't use credable sources-- especially her imaginary friend Francine!! She also referred to people by first and last name only and not saying who they were or what their credentials were. It was a bit confusing to say the least. She used internet websites as sources for many of her ideas and as we all know, not everything out there on the web is crediable. At the very least, this book is poorly written and her writing skills are as bad as her ridiculous explainations. I give it a generous 2 stars because I did get several pretty good laughs out of it, and that brightened a few rainy afternoons!

Ms. Browne has an interesting writing style. Sort of like an evangelist. But, she mixes some histortical observations with her own philosophy. That's OK, if you want her opinion of the origins of these great mysteries.

The real scientists in the genre are Clark & Agnew who have just released their new book, The Ark of Millions of Years. They have beautifully documented their sources and opened the windows of true understanding about these ancient races. Atlantis, Mu, and even the origin of the earth is so clearly and precisely explained you will be amazed.

Without taking sides or preaching, they have included all the ancient observers and modern astrophysicists in making the most compelling case for the accomplishments of these ancient races. The most earth-shaking revelation in their book is the union of the polarity, lost for over 6 thousand years. They found it and have included it in perhaps the best book every written on the creation of the earth.

If you liked Browne's book, you will absolutely love The Ark of Millions of Years. Truth is more fascinating than fiction any day.

The world of Slyvia Browne has always been fascinating to me. Those with closed minds will be disenchanted with this book, and perhaps even angry, but if you prefer discovery over censure you'll love this journey.
Though I must confess I wasn't convinced of everything written on the pages, I did feel enlightened to new experiences and possibilities. I hadn't heard of 'Tulpas' or 'Chupacabras', for example. I also found the historic roots of many legends, rituals, and religious beliefs significant reasons for all of us to dig deeper. It wouldn't be the first time research has been flawed and I felt I learned something.
Slyvia is gifted, of that I'm completely convinced. Overall, this book presents readers with many interesting ideas to ponder. It may be too much for some reader's plates, but they'll definitely be left full of new questions...
Chrissy K. McVay
author of 'Souls of the North Wind'