Living in the Light- A Guide to Personal and Planetary Transformation
By
MaxxRana
“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place. ” ― Rumi
has sold over a million copies, and has been translated into many
languages all over the world. Today, it continues to sell steadily and
I receive continuous feedback that it is touching people’s lives in a
meaningful way.
Not long ago, I revised and updated my first book, Creative
Visualization, and ever since that time, I’ve been feeling that I’d like
to do the same for Living in the Light. The basic message of the
book seems to be as timely and relevant as ever. Over the years
since I wrote it, however, my understanding has developed and
(hopefully) deepened through my own life experience and my work with others. I felt that there were many things I would say somewhat
differently now, and that perhaps it would be valuable to my
readers to hear more of my ongoing story as well as some of my
“older and wiser” perspective.
Having updated these two books, I now realize that revising a
classic book is a delicate and difficult art form quite different from
writing one. The challenge is this: How do I bring it up to date
and into alignment with my present understanding while respecting
and honoring the integrity and power of the original work,
which in a sense is a living entity unto itself ?
When I sat down to revise Living in the Light, I hadn’t read it
for a number of years. As I went through it, I had two distinct
reactions. One response was, “Wow! This is really good! I forgot
that I was saying this stuff so clearly way back then.” The other
response was an embarrassed wince when I felt I had said something
a little too simplistic or grandiose, or found something I no
longer agreed with.
I have not made major changes to the book. I have extended
and updated my story in the Introduction, and reorganized a little,
adding a chapter and taking out two others that no longer fit well.
Otherwise, I have simply reworked it a bit — adding, subtracting,
and editing to bring it more into alignment with my current views.
I have only modified it where I strongly felt it could be improved
or made more accurate.
At times, I had to fight the temptation to simply write a whole
new book on the same subject! I comforted myself with the
thought that readers interested in a more complete view of how my
ideas have evolved can easily find it in one of my newer works,
such as The Path of Transformation or Creating True Prosperity.
Those of you who have read Living in the Light in the original
version may notice a slightly different tone to the revised edition.
At the time I wrote the book, I was filled with youthful enthusiasm
for the power I was finding in these ideas and practices. A dozen
years later, I’m as enthusiastic and committed to these ideas as ever,
but I now have a healthy respect for the ongoing challenge of integrating
them into our daily lives. So you may notice a somewhat
humbler approach, acknowledging and honoring the complexities
of life and the human journey.
Probably the greatest difference for me between then and now
is my understanding of the necessity and importance of acknowledging,
working with, and embracing our disowned energies, our
“shadow side.” At this point, the phrase living in the light has a
deeper and subtler meaning for me than before. It refers to the
consciousness and balance that comes into our lives as we become
aware of, accept, and express the many aspects of who we are,
including the parts that we may have feared and rejected.
When I wrote this book, the millennium change was still years
away. Now it is at hand, and the idea that we are creating a new
world seems more relevant than ever.
Whether you have read Living in the Light before and are curious
to read the revised version, or are a first-time reader, welcome!
I hope you enjoy the book and find inspiration on your journey of
self-discovery.
Au t h o r ’s P r e f a c e
t o t h e Re v i s e d E d i t i o n
Living in the Light was first published in 1986. Since that time, it
has sold over a million copies, and has been translated into many
languages all over the world. Today, it continues to sell steadily and
I receive continuous feedback that it is touching people’s lives in a
meaningful way.
Not long ago, I revised and updated my first book, Creative
Visualization, and ever since that time, I’ve been feeling that I’d like
to do the same for Living in the Light. The basic message of the
book seems to be as timely and relevant as ever. Over the years
since I wrote it, however, my understanding has developed and
(hopefully) deepened through my own life experience and my work with others. I felt that there were many things I would say somewhat
differently now, and that perhaps it would be valuable to my
readers to hear more of my ongoing story as well as some of my
“older and wiser” perspective.
Having updated these two books, I now realize that revising a
classic book is a delicate and difficult art form quite different from
writing one. The challenge is this: How do I bring it up to date
and into alignment with my present understanding while respecting
and honoring the integrity and power of the original work,
which in a sense is a living entity unto itself ?
When I sat down to revise Living in the Light, I hadn’t read it
for a number of years. As I went through it, I had two distinct
reactions. One response was, “Wow! This is really good! I forgot
that I was saying this stuff so clearly way back then.” The other
response was an embarrassed wince when I felt I had said something
a little too simplistic or grandiose, or found something I no
longer agreed with.
I have not made major changes to the book. I have extended
and updated my story in the Introduction, and reorganized a little,
adding a chapter and taking out two others that no longer fit well.
Otherwise, I have simply reworked it a bit — adding, subtracting,
and editing to bring it more into alignment with my current views.
I have only modified it where I strongly felt it could be improved
or made more accurate.
At times, I had to fight the temptation to simply write a whole
new book on the same subject! I comforted myself with the
thought that readers interested in a more complete view of how my
ideas have evolved can easily find it in one of my newer works,
such as The Path of Transformation or Creating True Prosperity.
Those of you who have read Living in the Light in the original
version may notice a slightly different tone to the revised edition.
At the time I wrote the book, I was filled with youthful enthusiasm
for the power I was finding in these ideas and practices. A dozen
years later, I’m as enthusiastic and committed to these ideas as ever,
but I now have a healthy respect for the ongoing challenge of integrating
them into our daily lives. So you may notice a somewhat
humbler approach, acknowledging and honoring the complexities
of life and the human journey.
Probably the greatest difference for me between then and now
is my understanding of the necessity and importance of acknowledging,
working with, and embracing our disowned energies, our
“shadow side.” At this point, the phrase living in the light has a
deeper and subtler meaning for me than before. It refers to the
consciousness and balance that comes into our lives as we become
aware of, accept, and express the many aspects of who we are,
including the parts that we may have feared and rejected.
When I wrote this book, the millennium change was still years
away. Now it is at hand, and the idea that we are creating a new
world seems more relevant than ever.
Whether you have read Living in the Light before and are curious
to read the revised version, or are a first-time reader, welcome!
I hope you enjoy the book and find inspiration on your journey of
self-discovery.
Save
Share
Tweet
