Do you believe in coincidences? Ever wonder why you tend to have a pattern of how you react to conflict? Are you aware of the energy you give off? Do you have an Energy Vampire in your life?

The Celestine Prophecy, written in 1993 by James Redfield, changed my life. While I was at Shepherd Spinal Center rehabilitating with a spinal cord injury from a motorcycle accident, I started reading. I was in a pretty dark place. Paralyzed from the waist down, my vertebra and my life shattered, I found myself seeking light and answers.

Redfield brings the reader on his protagonist’s transformative journey. He discovers nine insights to life through the narrative of an adventure. By zooming in on specific parts of life, such as interpersonal ethics, this book does an incredible job of giving the reader the big picture perspective of what is going on around you. Although it is a work of fiction and has a simple writing style, it carries valuable insight into how to live life authentically. Some of the ideas can be hard to grasp while others are self-evident. It shows a beautiful perspective of the world that I knew deep down existed but did not recognize. Celestine is like a guidebook to gain perspective on the Universe.

One of the main concepts is that of non-accidental, meaningful coincidences or synchronicities. Haven’t you sensed these types of occurrences at some time in your life? “Coincidences,” when recognized as purposeful, have the effect of waking you up from your current, perhaps restless or unfulfilling, life. Personally, I first began noticing these purposeful coincidences during my physical and emotional recovery from the accident. One powerful form these took which I could not ignore was the power that prayer, (both) answered and unanswered, was having on my life. This was a spiritual awakening for me. If you are interested in or believe in the law of attraction you will find many concepts you recognize but probably from a new awareness. I wake up every morning excited to see what is in store for the day ahead of me as I have recognized and now firmly believe that everything has significance.

Read with a closed mind I’m sure certain readers will find flaws and be underwhelmed if they attempt to examine it as a piece meant to be a literary wonder. However, read all the way through with an open, seeking mind, it is an unforgettable experience. It gives insights on how to take a more positive and active approach to the past, present and future of your life. It is about discovering an inner peace and surrounding and filling yourself with love and acceptance. This book can change your life if you let it. I have re-read Celestine in full once so far and reference it multiple times a month and sometimes weekly, depending on what is going on in my life. It is my experience in having it shared with me and myself sharing it with both friends and strangers that it shows up in one’s life at the exact right time.

It has been a beautiful privilege for me to see it positively transforming and opening the minds and hearts of those close to me while they begin their own journeys. The conversations I have had with people regarding the book – people who have read it, people who have not read it but “get it,” and with people who are very skeptical of its ideas – are really special. As I listen to and consider their experiences and questions, I come up with more questions of my own. This book truly did jump-start the spiritual journey I am on now.

Although it is a spiritual and not religious book, for me it has ignited a new interest in developing a personal relationship with God, which I had always heard about but was hard for me to fully understand while surrounded by people who seemed to at least act like they already had everything all figured out. Assessing my belief in God and Jesus away from the church and the restrictions I felt under the title of Christianity helped me make the distinction between being a Jesus-follower and naming myself as a Christian. The way Redfield describes spirituality through these insights spoke to me by making certain things very clear while giving me new questions to ask myself and ask God. Sometimes you can judge the value of a book by the readers who love that book and I am willing to bet you actually know a few people who do! It is not a hard read, but it will challenge you and can change your life if you let it.

Thank you to the contributing blogger, my daughter, Julia King.