Customer Reviews

Spark: Raise Your Mind To the Power of Infinity and Create Anything.

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Spark is all about sensing a vision and placing the idea into action. Creativity is an important component of this process and Spark emphasizes the utilization of creativity; pointing out different ways to improve the role of creative thinking and make it more effective. Not only is it important to improve creative thinking, it also important to block the obstacles to creativity, in order to enhance the vision and creative process.

This book talks about a subject that is nothing new and, in many ways, its content reminds me of some of the business training sessions I have attended in the past. These ideas about vision, creativity, etc., have been stated thousands of times before. Thus, Spark is not the most original book. It continues the themes of thinking positive, avoiding doubt, and following through on a visionary plan in much the same manner as any other book on the topic.

Spark recommends specific, repetitive verbal exercises to make the individual more receptive to creative energy. Phrases like: I am That, and My Mind is the Infinite One are required to be repeated over and over again, about one hundred times each day. Exactly how this is supposed to be beneficial, I have no idea. For myself, not only do I gain nothing from partaking in such an exercise, I also find that saying the same thing over and over again results in the statement losing its intended meaning.

Spark is an optimistic book, and there is nothing wrong with optimism. But its promises go too far to take them seriously and the book often gets lost in its own repetitive nature. Books that promise great things by simply changing one's mindset should always be greeted with skepticism. Thinking positively is certainly a good idea and positive thoughts are certainly better than negative thoughts. But just because a person thinks positively and flexes his/her creative muscles does not guarantee success. I can think of many people who are very positive and creative and yet have accomplished very little. On the other side, I can think of several skeptics who achieved even more than they thought they would in spite of their somewhat negative attitude.

Repetition is another problem I have with Spark. Words like Infinite, Creative, and Vision are overused in this book. In addition to that, I don't like the attempt to write over- intelligently. I often had to stop and re- read a paragraph or two to make sure I understood what the author was trying to say. This isn't because the book is complex or anything like that. No, the reason I had to read some parts over again is because the choice of words often made a simple statement sound more complicated than it actually was. Another read confirmed that the statement was really pretty simple.

Spark does offer a few useful pieces of advice, like its emphasis on the understanding of the power to create as opposed to relying strictly on intellectual prowess. The book is also correct when it talks about the barriers to creativity and success and what can be done to prevent them or overcome them if they are already in place. But taken as a whole, I find very little practical advice in the page of Spark. It's an enthusiastic book, but it does quite cut it for me. The repetitious exercises and the general advice about using creative thinking and opening the mind to new ideas has been stated a thousand times before- and more effectively- by other authors.

This book was pretty good. It was short and an easy read. I can't say I loved it. And I didn't think it said what it was trying to say in an eloquent way. But it got me thinking about how I create things and accomplish things. It has the following 11 chapters:

0. Introduction
1. It all stars with a spark
2. Spark: Extending your magnitude
3. The living vision
4. Perfecting your vision
5. Planting your vision seeds
6. The principles of visioning
7. Defeating the dubious pair: Fear & doubt
8. Manifesting your vision
9. Principles of manifesting
10. Conclusion

This book is for the creative types: authors, movie directors, other artists, sales people, scientists, and entrepreneurs. It is about how to breed and harvest ideas that can lead to inventions, creations, and/or solutions. Whether you are into dreaming or strategic thinking, this book will probably help you do them better.

The author describes a person's imagination as her "creative laboratory." And in that lab a creative person experiments with ideas and scenarios. Some people are really good at this if they are good a meditation says the author. Meditators can get themselves into a "zone" where there are fewer limits on their thinking. And as a result the imagination can run wilder. I'm not a meditator, but I know what she is talking about. I have had periods in my life when I road my bicycle a lot. And other periods when I would go for long runs/jogs regularly. During these activities I did some of my best thinking. I was in a "zone" of freethinking so to speak.

We all place limitations on the way we think, solve problems, and/or create things. These limitations exist because of physical things, mental things, and our emotions. When we can escape from the real world and get into a zone of freethinking we will have our greatest imaginative moments. And it's these moments that a SPARK is created. 4 stars!

This book is one where all-encompassing words are used in a hyped context without regard to their true meaning. The one word used in particular is "infinite." I am sure that the author does not know the real meaning of the term. This is clear from the phrase in the title, "raise your mind to the power of infinity." This is a phrase that is nonsensical, while it sounds powerful; from a semantic point of view it makes no sense. After all, what does raising something to the power of infinity actually mean?
The exercise numbered 3 on page 34 is typical of the prose in the book.

" Exercise 3
My mind is an infinite one
Say this to yourself a few times while contemplating its meaning. Now sense what this means on a physical level. Can you feel your mind? Do you feel any borders? Of course you don't. That's because there are none. Your mind is connected implicitly with everything everywhere, both physical and non-physical."

If you think about this for a moment, this statement means that all people are gods, their minds are infinite and there are no borders to it. This also means that the universe is infinite, and all humans are mentally linked. Furthermore, there is the direct consequence that humans never die, as that would of course be a border. That is a lot to say in a few sentences.
This book is tedious, dull and full of such nonsensical phrases that are semantically confusing. As one last point of justification for my remarks, I quote the following statement from the inside of the front dust cover.

"It describes in detail how your vision seeds grow in the silent womb of the creative universe and how you can play an optimal role as an agent-partner in the process of creating anything from nothing."

There are reasons that I rarely read or review self-help books, and "Spark" epitomizes those reasons. If the author had toned back from the infinite mind and suggested more strongly that the techniques in her book were more of a precursor to real creative thought, I might have been more of a believer. Instead, it seems like the author is suggesting that all you need is a creative attitude and the belief that you have an infinite mind and you will be creative.

Sadly, to those of us in the business of inventing things the ability to invent is rarely one where I invent because I have lowered the boundaries in my mind so that I have an infinite mind. If that were true, faster-than-light-drive would already have been invented. Yes, having an open mind and reducing boundaries to creative thought can enhance creativity. However, when it comes to hard-core invention (say, a fuel injector or a telephone) it takes much more than wishful thinking on the part of the inventor to lead to an invention. I will invent because my mind is without boundaries; ummm...what about some sort of education or experience relevant to invention?

Many people seem to think that creativity and invention occur through some magical process and that virtually anyone can do it. Yes, many people are indeed creative, but they do not require a mantra to be creative. Preparing your mind to be creative may help, but there is a lot of other stuff that should happen as well - like the actual creation part.

As for invention, since patents are the best indicator we have for invention and since the number of people who are inventors is a tiny fraction of the population, invention is a very rare thing indeed and I doubt any manner of positive thinking will change that.

Summary: This book is about the power of positive thinking and opening your mind. While the premise seems promising, in reality the process is lacking in details. Creative people will not need this book. People seeking to be creative will find it puts them no further ahead.

Good luck!

The author's representative provided me with a review copy of this book.

Creativity is a strange thing that few people manage to understand, even people who are called creative "Spark: Raise Your Mind to the Power of Infinity and Create Anything" is a guide to sparking that creativity and getting it going. Vision is having an idea, but "Spark" seeks to help readers turn that vision into a vague concept in reality. Applicable to business, writing, artistry, or other avenues, "Spark" is a handbook that would prove good reading to anyone whose meal ticket depends on their creativity.

"Spark - Raise Your Mind to the Power of Infinity and Create Anything" was written to teach you to how to become a conscious creator. Becoming a conscious creator teaches you to use the visioning process so that you can create something from nothing. Ms. Tesolin wrote "Spark" while she was seeking to find a fuller explanation to the creative process.
To create we need to both have a vision and to use our imagination. "Spark" teaches us how to use our mind to create anything that we can possibly dream up. As we go through this process, we will begin to attract what we want into our life. This in turn, will make our lives more meaningful. Our spirit is what does the creating. It is the creative spark of our spirit that gets things going.
I found "Spark" to be highly motivating and empowering. There is so much good information in there, that I don't even think that one word was wasted. I look forward to going back through the book slowly and applying the principles. If you are afraid that it won't work for you read Chapter 7, it discusses fear and doubts. Enjoy!

After reading the first few pages, I determined, "Looks like another book of existential Eastern philosophy." I was right. If that's what you're into, you might like SPARK: RAISE YOUR MIND TO THE POWER OF INFINITY AND CREATE ANYTHING by Arupa Tesolin. I came away a little disappointed. I always value a book by what I was able to learn from it, and I didn't glean much here.

Ever since "The Secret" went through it's Oprahfication and became famous, there have been a plethora of books extolling the virtues of thought. We are what we think. Our thoughts attract. Our destiny is controlled by our mind. That sort of thing. That's all well and good and I have no problem with any of it, in and of itself. The problem I DO have is that this sort of thing has been around for centuries now and is no secret at all. It's called p-r-a-y-e-r.

This sort of teaching simply takes the focus off of God and onto self. I fear this is misleading untold masses and directing them away from personal salvation and the glorification of Christ.

On the other hand, the book is very easy read. At just over 100 pages, it would make a nice Saturday afternoon read for anyone into that sort of thing.

The author Arupa Tesolin does an excellent job in this book of explaining the power of bringing your visions into reality by over coming doubt and fear. I agree with her that if you want to change your reality you must look with in and create your world the way you want it to be, believe in it as if it is already real and it will manifest in your outward circumstances. I have done this my whole life and it works if you are stubborn enough to believe that it will.
If you have a vision in your heart that you are passionate about and love, then it will eventually happen if it does not contradict another vision. You can not rise to the top of your company if your family time is not negotiable. You can not be in perfect physical shape if you hate exercise and love cake more than being slim.
Ultimately we all desire our own form of happiness. The main driver of happiness is our ability to create, whether it be creating a book, painting, comapany, family, or child we are all driven to create something. Do yourself a big favor and learn the art of creating what you want by following this book's principles. All it takes is a spark to start a journey of your own creation.