When Creative Visualization (Gawain's first book, now a New Age classic) was published more than two decades ago, no one had heard of Deepak Chopra, and seminars on creativity and intuition did not exist in the business world. Now that many of her pioneering ideas and practices have found a place in mainstream American culture, Gawain offers this collection of simple exercises for accessing and employing "a universal, intelligent life force that exists within everyone and everything" through daily meditation. Such practice, she claims, can singlehandedly "point us in the direction we need to go at any given moment," "keep us safe" and "connect us to the soul level of our existence." Unlike instinct, which, Gawain says, protects survival and procreation, intuition promotes "growth, development, self-expression, and higher purpose." She recommends balancing intellect, instinct and intuition, rather than relying too heavily on any one of them. As always, Gawain's conversational prose is clear and uncomplicated, her mood easy and low-key; and, by now, her concepts are acceptably mainstream. She shows her readers how to distinguish the "voice" of intuition, trust it, interpret its messages and receive insight on questions and problems involving work, money, health and emotional issues. This slim volume is a faster, easier read than Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing (Forecasts, January 24) and has the potential to win Gawain back some readers in this crowded self-help subcategory. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
According to Kassy and Gawain, Americans are searching for answers to life's tough questions from self-help groups or psychic hotlines when all they really need to do is tune into themselves. Both authors are interested in using intuition as a means of achieving optimum health and life fulfillment, and both agree that the more one practices intuition, the more easily answers will arrive. Kassy, who holds a master's degree in intuition/energy medicine from Greenwich University, here writes for healthcare workers and psychologists. Like psychic healer Edgar Cayce, she requires only a name and an age on paper in order to do a reading of a client's health-related illnesses. Arguing that many maladies are caused by Americans' diet of highly processed junk foods, Kassy recommends a visit to a nutritionist. Because she believes that illness is created when our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual natures are out of sync, she also tunes into negative patterns that adversely affect them. Intuitive power even works with animals, she asserts. Her chapters are filled with anecdotes, case studies, and readings. Gawain is self-taught, and her name has been a household word in the New Age movement since her book Creative Visualization was published in 1989. Based on Gawain's belief that everyone is born with intuitive powers that end up being suppressed, Developing Intuition is written in a workbook style, containing exercises on relaxation, breathing, and meditation techniques. Gawain's book will better suit intuition beginners, while Kassy's more detailed work will serve a wider, alternative health audience. Both are recommended for public libraries. Other authors writing in this vein areCaroline Myss (Anatomy of the Spirit, Harmony, 1996), Marcia Emery (The Intuitive Healer, St. Martin's, 1999), Mona Lisa Schulz (Awakening Intuition, Random, 1999), and Judith Orloff (Second Sight, Warner, 1997).--Lisa Wise, Broome Cty. P.L., Binghamton, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\
Whether it's called a hunch, a "gut feeling," or simply an inner sense, intuition is a powerful guiding force for weighing options, choosing a path, and making sense of decisions. The use of intuition, however, is not honored in western culture. The complexities of modern life bury the intuitive sense under an avalanche of responsibilities, multiple options, and the pressure to "get things done."
In Developing Intuition, Gawain, author of the bestseller Creative Visualization, crafts a down-to-earth guide to opening the door to inner guidance, showing in no uncertain terms that one needn't retreat to an ashram in order to nurture, access, and use intuition. Intuition is a practical tool that anyone can use. The author states, "Intuition is seldom dramatic, grandiose, or particularly mystical." It is a sense that is always available to help people choose a path that works.
Gawain offers a no-nonsense series of meditations and exercises to develop intuition that people can use in their everyday lives. From the simple tool of the relaxation exercise to the more elaborate "inner guidance meditation," she shows how the intuitive sense can be engaged. Her instructions are clear and filled with examples of how intuition works in her own life and in the lives of people who took her intuition workshops. She even has a "quick intuitive check in" exercise that can be done in the midst of activity, a tool to ground and center the awareness, allowing access to intuition while one is working, cooking, or running errands.
The benefits of trusting the intuitive sense are numerous. Gawain presents case after case of situations where people followed their intuition, showing how the choices they made enriched their lives. One woman found her life's work" helping troubled teens" after her intuition prompted her to turn down a lucrative position, a job that would provide material wealth, but would strangle her soul. Another woman did not pay attention to her inner guidance telling her to balance her work life with relaxation and rest. This woman put in so many hours at her job that exhaustion led to an automobile accident that forced her to stop working so hard.
The benefits of using intuition are clear. Gawain, however, states, "Listening to, trusting and acting on your intuitive inner guidance is an art." Once the gate to inner guidance is opened, following intuition becomes a new way of life, an "on-going process in which we are always being challenged to move to a deeper level of self-trust." It is a journey that is well worth the risk.
As consumers in these fragile economic times, we should spend our audiobook dollars wisely. In that spirit, Shakti Gawain’s DEVELOPING INTUITION cannot be rated a best buy. While the bestselling author supplies the content of this featherweight book, her flat reading and uninspiring writing make this recording a one listen, if that. Most of the information Gawain conveys could be found in any magazine article about using intuition. If you're seeking a way to increase your intuitive ability, follow your hunch to another source. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
