Catchy title, no? I thought so too. If the title doesn’t grab you, the foreword by Dr. Wayne Dyer surely will. Call me crazy, I was sucked in before I even opened the front cover.
There would be absolutely nothing like having a ‘death’ experience to glean complete clarity and insight into, well, everything. The journey that led Anita Moorjani to this death experience was wrought with struggle. The expectations set by her family and her culture created a certain anxiety and fear, which stuck with her as she grew. Although her parents pushed her to follow their own Indian path, Anita struggled to fit into that mold, which only fed her increasing anxiety. She found herself fearful of most everything, but perseverated and lost sleep over her fear of failure, of not being lovable, and of disappointing the people around her. In the years that led to adulthood, she found her true love, lost her father, and struggled to maintain her own ideals amidst the cultural pressures to conform.
In 2001, her best friend and her brother-in-law were both diagnosed with cancer. The fear that ensued was overwhelming for Anita, as she incessantly read about the disease, its potential causes, prognoses, and treatments. These obsessive thoughts led her to fear life itself. Then, her worst nightmare came true on April 26, 2002, when her doctor called to deliver the news about the lump she had found on her right shoulder. It turned out to be lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. The next four years were filled with alternative treatments, research, stress, and a search for salvation. Despite her intense efforts, which included traveling through India and China, meditation, yoga, chakra balancing, meeting monks, enlightened masters and yogis, Chinese herbal medicine, and pranic healing, she continued to deteriorate. Her body stopped absorbing nutrients, she was confined to a wheel chair, and she couldn’t breathe without a portable oxygen tank. The day, then, arrived when her body gave up and she surrendered to the disease. Her organs shut down and her body entered a coma. The doctors believed that she was going to die. Her family was notified and hope was lost.
{Ice Crystal Halo, Artist: bike cam}
Meanwhile, Anita discovered herself in a realm of heightened awareness and, to this day, cannot find words in our language to describe her experience. Sitting down to type this review, I’m at a loss for words as well, as I cannot adequately recreate the feeling of awe I experienced as I read her words. Some of the adjectives she used to describe this experience, though, include words like indescribable, magnificent, amazing, liberating, peaceful, beautiful, healing, and enlightening. The awareness of her purpose and her true essence came flooding through her entire being as she was filled with a feeling of complete and utter unconditional love. In her experience, she was able to communicate with her father, receive messages from her best friend, have an awareness of conversations and discussions between doctors and family in varying locations of the hospital, as well as view her own body lying on the hospital bed. Upon her realization that she still had purpose to fulfill in this human experience, she made a choice to come back. ”Now that you know the truth of who you really are, go back and live your life fearlessly!” was the message sent to her by her father and her best friend.
Anita came back to this life with a knowing about who she is, what her life experience encompasses, and an assurance that, without fear, her body would heal itself. Defying all odds and completely flabbergasting doctors and specialists, she used the knowledge of her own magnificence and connection with the Universal energy to completely cure herself of cancer. Cancer gone within weeks. Really? Yes, hospital records, scans, and tests all concur. Cancer. gone. within. weeks. She continued to gain strength in the weeks that followed, got her body back, and was able to live a ‘normal’ life. The word ‘normal’ is all relative, of course, for her life had been forever changed.
“This (experience) has a big impact on my health as well. Since I now see myself as an infinite being, the physical takes care of itself because it’s only a reflection of what’s going on within my soul. Unconditional self-love increases my energy tremendously, and the universe acts in kind. The external world mirrors what we feel about ourselves. By letting go of any negative self-judgment, we allow our world to transform; and as it does so, we’ll be able to feel greater and greater trust… we’re one with the universe and our purpose is to be our magnificent selves.” -Anita Moorjani
From Louise Hay - Wisdom Cards
Be your magnificent self. Can it get any better than that? Seems simple, right? In the slice of a moment that you soak in your magnificence, it seems like such a simple concept. In the realm of our physical world, where expectations, pressures, structure, survival, drama, and daily life rule your experiences, it is indeed one of the most difficult concepts to integrate into your being. Talking about it and writing about it are one thing, I’m trying to challenge myself to be the love and the magnificence that I am in this world. Let this book be my bible, I will. Yes, I will.