I have decided to partner up with another blogger to expand the content of The Help Desk.
I will continue to post the book reviews that The Help Desk is known for, but this blogging partnership will take some of the pressure off of my frantic reading schedule. It takes time to read and review books properly. With my new 40 hour a week job, I don’t have the time to devote to it as I used to.
The History Guy is a dear friend of mine who makes five minute videos about history.
His educational videos are well-researched and fun: a perfect fit for The Help Desk. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll notice that I love quirky non-fiction. These are right up my alley.
I’ve learned a lot from this YouTuber and I hope that you do too.
My first pick from his lengthy catalog of videos is about Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. She was an abolitionist, surgeon and truly ahead of her time.
Without further ado, I present, “Five Minutes of History: Mary Edwards Walker,” by the History Guy.
I picked up The Alchemy of Freedom because I was looking for an accessible book about alchemy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t actually about alchemy nor was it accessible in my opinion.
But, everybody is ready at different times for different manners of spiritual teachings. Don’t let my incomprehension deter you if you find the description intriguing.
I’m neither a genius nor a guru, just someone who studies religions and spirituality in a comparative, curious, meandering way. This could be the book that opens a door for you.
It simply wasn’t that for me.
There are some gems hidden in these pages but I found it mainly to be a labyrinth of words. I’ve had a similar feeling when listening or reading the works of Eckhart Tolle.
I feel like what Almaas is saying is worthwhile, so I made my way through it. But I just didn’t get the majority of it. Puzzling my way through this book was like grasping a cloud.
I had finished this book last week in preparation for writing a review the day it came out, but when I sat down to write yesterday, the words wouldn’t come. Rarely does reading a book leave me speechless.
I’ll pull some highlights to give you a feel for it. Reminder: this was a digital advance reader’s copy so the final published version could be slightly different.
I was able to comprehend Almaas’ thoughts about our “true nature” and most of the passages I highlighted talk about it: “Whether we recognize it as presence or awareness or emptiness, true nature is crucial to the process of awakening, realization, enlightenment, and liberation. It is the source of all spiritual experiences, insights, and transformations.” loc 116-133.
The bits of alchemy that Almaas did discuss were illuminating: “When we are experiencing ourselves as true nature, we realize that a human being is really the alchemical laboratory. The human being, the human consciousness, the human mind, the human heart are the instruments through which the magician works.” loc 186.
Most books that discuss alchemy are symbols heaped upon symbols. Perhaps it’s just the nature of the topic, but it’s frustrating.
About the philosophers’ stone: “The alchemists spent millennia trying to find it. They considered it the final result of the magnum opus, the great work of spiritual and material transmutation. Some alchemists thought they could make it, others believed it had to be discovered. … I am not teaching anything about alchemy here; I am borrowing the idea because it fits with what I am trying to say about true nature. … We can only experience true nature in the manifold ways it presents itself, and yet it is always one thing.” loc 666
I felt like this next quotation encompassed my experience of this book: “Sometimes we can rapidly absorb a teaching, and other times we can’t get very far with it for a long time. But we don’t need to get into a mental struggle with the ideas and the notions. Although understanding is an important part of awakening, it need not happen immediately.” loc 922.
So, that’s a relief. Perhaps my awakening is still on its way. Until then, I’ll just chill where I am.
What a year! Thank you to everyone on Goodreads (and WordPress!) for sharing their reads and giving me a safe space to write my thoughts. I look forward to seeing what everyone gets up in 2017!
Speaking of next year, I have some big news. After almost five years as a public librarian, I am starting a new job as a news assistant at a major local newspaper. It is an incredibly bittersweet move because I absolutely loved being a librarian, but I find myself ready for new challenges and, honestly, a full time position, which was not available at the library. I will continue to read and review as much as I am able, but you may not see me on here as much as 2016.
And that’s ok. I also may change my online name to Heidi the Hippie or I may just leave the librarian moniker because, in my heart, I will always be a librarian. Now, I’ll have a slightly different Help Desk and new duties, but, it will always be a part of who I am. That’s just how it is.
May your holidays and New Year be filled with awesome new books to read. Peace and love to you all!
Hello world! My name is Heidi and I’m a public librarian. I work at a desk with a huge help sign over it. Hence, the name of this blog.
I’m going to record my book reviews here. I may also write some job related posts too, but nothing too serious or scholarly.
I love to read fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, memoirs, historical fiction, business books, and metaphysical or New Age books. Frankly, if it’s been written, I’d probably read it and, most likely, love it.
What a year! Thank you to everyone on Goodreads (and WordPress!) for sharing their reads and giving me a safe space to write my thoughts. I look forward to seeing what everyone gets up in 2017!
The Help Desk Book Blog 