Sophy BurnhamCritiques

We're surrounded by superior spiritual beings of great light and magnificence, which are the manifestation of the divine and which want for us poor humans better things than we can possibly imagine.

Francia, 1209. Una niña es encontrada en las afueras de una ciudad cuyos habitantes acaban de ser diezmados. Adoptada por la comunidad cátara, la joven Jeanne crecerá en medio de unas gentes fieles a sus ideales. Pero ciertos sectores de la sociedad los observan con desconfianza y pronto el recelo se convertirá en odio. Serán tiempos de terror, de luchas fratricidas y pasiones religiosas. Jeanne, acorralada junto a sus hermanos en la fortaleza sitiada de Montségur, jurará luchar hasta el final para preservar el legado de su comunidad.

It was inspiring to read the testimonials of the individuals in this book but I have to say this is not what I was looking for. I found the title to be a bit misleading. I'm giving it a half rating.

Sophy Burnham's name has become synonymous with angels. Her first book about the beautiful presence of celestial beings in human affairs, A Book of Angels, was embraced by readers across the country and ultimately soared onto the New York Times bestseller list.
So beloved is A Book of Angels that it generated a great wave of heartfelt response. Hundreds of ordinary people have written to Sophy Burnham about their own encounters with heavenly beings. Now, in Angel Letters, Burnham shares some of their moving stories. These experiences of healing, rescue, warning, and comfort, of angelic blessings seen and unseen, will bring wonder, solace, and inspiration to anyone who welcomes a little angelic intervention in everyday life.
"Will make the reader stop and think--and believe in a better world."
--The Pittsburgh Press

Everything rings true here: the goshawful Washington parties, the unbearable human narcissists (who, happily, have a short shelf life) and the infinite wisdom of cats. They really do see into other dimensions and are aware of forces of which we humans are not aware. Humans here keep messing up and sabotaging themselves. One even messes around with Sicilian curses, which is never a good idea, but sees the error of her ways. Even Alba can come to terms with the big stupid tom downstairs. Go get it!

For millennia, mysticism has spread a special radiance over humanity. Today interest in mystical practices is increasing, and just as Sophy Burnham first focused modern awareness on the presence of angels in our lives, she now explores the drama and mystery of mystical experiences, and their power to change our lives.

In this rich and deeply personal book, Burnham describes her own arduous and momentous journey into mystical awareness--the rowing toward God, as she calls it. That journey began with a subtle, unnamed longing, passed through various stages of prayer and spiritual awareness, and broke open in a single transformative moment at the ancient Peruvian site of Machu Picchu. Threaded through her own story, Burnham gives us scores of first-hand accounts of mystical encounters as recorded by ordinary people today, as well as by saints, seers, ecstatics, and holy men and women of every faith.

In addition, Burnham delves into the physical side of mystical experience--levitation, elevated body temperature, psychic ability--and warns against an overemphasis on such powers. She also describes the age-old practices that invite mystical experience--prayer and fasting, meditation, ascetic discipline--and points out the landmarks that one passes on this extraordinary spiritual journey.

Passionate, beautifully written, and comprehensive, The Ecstatic Journey is a feast of fact and myth, knowledge and wisdom, that will nourish and enlighten every spiritual voyager.

The section on "Angelology" is fascinating...a good overview of how angels "appear" in various religions, cultures, literature, etc.

True stories about miracles and/or angels.

When the Secretary of State's basset hound gets dognapped, the tomboyish dogwalker and her skateboarding friend find themselves in a deeper plot than they'd originally suspected. This book was written in 1979; some parts are dated, but overall it's a great story and I liked both main characters, Cocky and Psi.

mooi boekje met korte essays over allerlei dingen die met het schrijfproces te maken hebben. Echt zo'n 'dagelijkse gedachte' boekje om de moed erin te houden.

On Monday, September 15, 2008 I wrote about this book:


I feel awful because you mailed this book all the way from Australia to me, but I did not like it at all.
Just visited amazon and there I noticed, yes it has some great reviews but most people don't agree with those reviews.
I was very disappointed cause I had expected so much more. The part where Jeanne grew up as a young girl and her first love was interesting, so i thought hey, this is going to be great, but then we went back to the future where she was old and it was all so vague and weird. After a while i just hurried through the book. You either love it or hate it it seems, I guess I belong to the latter. sorry.
Going to offer in a swap or in the VBB.

Francia, año 1209. Una niña es encontrada a las afueras de la ciudad de Béziers, donde acaban de ser masacradas miles de personas. Adoptada por la comunidad cátara, la joven Jeanne crece bajo la instrucción de unas gentes fieles a sus ideales. Calificados como los «puros», estos pacifistas, vegetarianos y devotos seguidores de Cristo disfrutan de una existencia inusual, que es observada con desconfianza por ciertos sectores de la sociedad. Con el paso del tiempo ese recelo se convertirá en odio, los cataros, víctimas de una serie de intereses políticos y religiosos, acabarán siendo acusados de herejía por la Inquisición. Serán tiempos de terror, de luchas fratricidas, de pasiones religiosas; de traiciones, hogueras y masacres, pero también de gran solidaridad entre los propios cataros. Jeanne, acorralada junto a sus hermanos en la fortaleza sitiada de Montségur, jurará luchar hasta el final para preservar el legado de su comunidad.El tesoro de Montségur narra con gran riqueza de detalles la turbulenta historia de los cátaros, a medida que desvela los secretos de una mujer atrapada entre la convención y su amor por los placeres terrenales. A través de la voz de Jeanne, y con una prosa evocadora, Burnham retoma la leyenda cátara desde una perspectiva nueva e intimista.

Functional as a novel, very misleading as history.½

This is a fascinating look at the extermination of the Cathars from the South of France in the Middle Ages. The Cathars were a group of Christians with beliefs quite different from the Catholics. As a result, a crusade was waged against them and they were all killed.

This novel is set during that time, with a protagonist who was raised by Cathars. The story is told with alternating view points and flashbacks, which together weave an interesting and heartfelt story.

This is historical fiction at its finest - a look at daily life during that time, a bit of a love story, and an examination of the cultural and religious climate of that time.

Absolutely loved this book. Amazing fictional account of Jeanne, who witnessed the mass murder of the Cathars at Montsegur. Beautifully and sensitively woven story of love.
Highly recommend it.

The section on "Angelology" is fascinating...a good overview of how angels "appear" in various religions, cultures, literature, etc.

The section on "Angelology" is fascinating...a good overview of how angels "appear" in various religions, cultures, literature, etc.

The section on "Angelology" is fascinating...a good overview of how angels "appear" in various religions, cultures, literature, etc.

I love reading about the Cathars, so I was happy to find this book. I loved it. I thought the main character was a little weird at first, but as the book progresses you start to understand why she is the way she is, through her flashbacks. I really loved this story and it was an interesting look back at the times where Catholicism was spreading its wings and pretty much choking out any religion that stood in its way. This was definitely an insightful and interesting read.

Thirteenth-century southern Europe was a scary place, which is made clear in this novel about a woman who is never quite sure where her spirit belongs. Alternate chapters jump from "present" to "past" in flashbacks, and the heroine is a little out of her mind at times. I found it to be a little mired in the philosophy of religion -- sometimes too close to stream of consciousness for me. But the story itself was compelling and the history is fascinating.

A compilation of quotes about writing and writers. It makes for fun light reading, and is motivational when the muses are absent.

could've been better than the hodge-podge format. there are more quotables out there that didn't make it to this volume. but i love the chinese econ. journal rejection slip (brilliant!), but undeserving to give to hack and pompous "writers" expecting attention from publishers.

I liked it. I was encouraged to learn more about the Cathars & the Albigensian Crusade