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like the dusty trails of my life that I seemed to be retracing.
Reeling from yet another relationship failure, Jerry travels to the American Southwest to spend a couple of months riding his horse, savoring the warm weather, and finding respite from the daily grind. But what begins as a simple escape to the wide-open spaces of Arizona soon becomes a powerful odyssey of self-discovery.
When Jerry comes upon an Indian named Tom in the middle of the Superstition Mountains, he senses that the meeting is no casual encounter. Wise and unreserved, Tom speaks to Jerry with a knowingness that both unnerves and captivates him.
Jerry is compelled to return to the mountain again and again to accept Tom's challenges, exercises, and assignments for living in the moment, tuning into the love all around him, and honoring a connection to Spirit. With Tom as his guide, Jerry uses dreams and visions of his own past lives to make sense of his modern reality.
Tom's lessons cause Jerry to question long-held beliefs, but they also afford him the insight he needs to move beyond pain and make his metaphysical journey toward inner peace and enlightenment.
Becca71
Posted July 8, 2012
ok read~~In Desert Journey we meet Jerry who is coming out of another failed relationship. when he meets Tom an Indian spirit guide. Through toms insight and challenges Jerry begins to learn about himself and his purpose. I found the book to be an OK read it wasn't one the held my attention but it was well written and an rather interesting concept for a book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.beckvalleybooks
Posted June 24, 2012
Absolutely loved this book, I was completely hooked from the start and found it extremely difficult to put down. This is one of them books you just do not want to end, WOW! Such an easy flowing read and one mans quest to find true happiness and his true self is utterly believable.
On a horse trek around Spiritual Mountain Jerry is gently guided by the hands of fate to an encounter with a wise old Indian named Tom unbeknownst to Jerry, Tom is his spiritual friend from many past lives and his spiritual mentor on his life's journey, they have shared many lifetimes together and made an agreement a long time ago to find each other to help reach their fullest potential.
As they sit overlooking the valley Jerry is asked what his most important goals in life are, his reply is to be happy and to learn what it is that he needs to know from this lifetime. The answer is very simple 'To be in the Moment', Tom replies. Tom agrees to teach Jerry only on the condition that he writes all about what all they have talked about in their many times together for people to enjoy and learn from.
The only drawback to the book is that you can not actually sit on the edge of the mountain with them to share the wonders and solitude of the valley although the book describes it so very well you almost feel as if you are there yourself.
Tom begins to teach Jerry the spiritual lessons he requires, these are very clear and gives the reader a great awareness to life's real important lessons, extremely clever story writing by the author. I could write an absolute page upon page but some of the points are that your own perspective on an identical situation can change it from a negative to positive everything happens in life for a reason and for lessons to be learnt, we should take a step back from life events and look at the wider picture from our past and present lifetimes realizing that each event is another opportunity and isn't as important as we think - some people come into our life for a purpose and once that is met they may go on to other things. Also that fear leads to negative feelings and therefore what you are actually thinking about you can bring about, when our emotions are high the signals we send to others make them easier to be picked up and influence their behavior towards ourselves.
One sentence that made me think was that when someone acts in a way that irritates us it is usually because we have it in common but are unable to see it in ourselves, I'm going to have to remember this for the next time it happens.
A fantastic story in its own right with self discovering special messages to be read and learnt. This is one book that I could and probably will read again and again. I cannot rate this book highly enough, loved it !!
National_Board_Certified
Posted June 12, 2012
Desert Journey was a surprising book. While I could easily answer the questions posed in this book, or could put myself in the situation, it didn't end as I expected. I could relate to Jerry and his struggle to find closure in the decisions and seemingly wrong turns he has made in his life. Jerry tries to reconcile his present with his past. Don't we all have similar stories to share? And in the end, isn't that what many of us look for in a good book-something we can relate to? Without giving too much away, I want to mention that Jerry asks the same questions that many of us do in our lives. Questions like, What's going to happen? Did I make the right decision? How do I know? I don't want to spoil the book for you. It is something you need to experience for yourself.
I received a copy of this book to review. The opinions are 100% mine.
RosePowell
Posted April 11, 2012
This book was an easy read, which at first I thought I'd dread, but as I coasted through the first chapter, I realized that it was entertaining and enjoyable and that I was curious to learn more about the characters in the novel. I enjoyed learning about Jerry's past experiences. Experiences that would form and shape him. Experiences that would bring him to the desert, where he would meet a man named Tom. Tom would push Jerry to live in the here and now and divert him from living in the past and future. The imagery that is described in this book, encourages me as the reader to explore this notion that if I focus on the here and now, my overall demeanor and emotions will be happier and more pleasant. I enjoyed reading their interactions and I enjoyed learning about Jerry's past experiences. Exploring yourself and getting to know your true purpose, your desires, and essentially what is hindering you, it would seem that in most cases what is hindering you from achieving true happiness is the unwillingness to live in THIS moment.
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Posted March 4, 2012
All I can say is WOW! I mean, this book is technically a self help book, yet it didn't feel like it to me. Most self help books I have read are basically instruction manuals and how tos. But Dr. Jerry Burgener wrote such a captivating spiritual encounter that sucked me in from the start.
I have always been the type of person that can read a book very quickly, in fact I read the final Harry Potter book in less than 8 hours. However, with Desert Journey, it took quite a while to finish because it is so deep that I needed to take many breaks just to let it all sink in.
When I first received this book, I wasn't to thrilled with reading it because it is a self help book and I have never been too keen on them. But I am thrilled that I read Desert Journey and hope to be able to use some of the techniques in the book to help with my own life.
I don't want to give too much detail about the book because I wouldn't want to ruin it for my readers who I hope will read Desert Journey as well. I am very much looking forward to reading the second book, Return to the Desert and hope that after reading it as well, I can learn to be as enlightened as Dr. Jerry Burgener.
kim0712
Posted February 16, 2012
We’ve all heard the saying, “Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it”, but what does that really mean? To some, it may mean that you want to date that perfect guy/girl, but you don’t realize they are a psycho until you are in the relationship. To others, it may be a bit more positive by inviting in challenges that you might otherwise have left behind – and not knowing what the ending will be.
In Dr. Jerry Burgeners book, Desert Journey, he begins a spiritual journey as he rides his horse, Liberty, to Superstition Mountain in Arizona. This journey becomes so much more than he originally imagined after he comes across a companion from his past, Tom, whom he does not recognize. Through the challenges and lessons that Tom leads Jerry through, he comes to terms with the realization that there is a reason for his painful relationship issues. He is able to uncover that his past actions actions and decisions have everything to do with why he is unable to make better decisions in his current life.
Through Dr Jerrys eyes, you experience the transition of a man that has been heartbroken to a man that is figuring out how to heal with his past and move forward in his future. With the help of this book, you can take a deeper look into your own soul, discover more about what motivates you to make the decisions that you do, and how to turn around your life and meet your challenges head on.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It is quite different than what I usually enjoy reading, but I found myself feeling like I was taking a journey not only with Dr Jerry, but with myself as well. It also teaches you that just because you are a very accomplished person, such as Dr Jerry, it doesn’t mean that you won’t still have internal struggles.
To learn more about Dr Burgener, check out his website here.
