The Space & Times Sunday Book Review
Robert Scheinfeld's "Busting Loose From the Business Game" is the not-quite sequel to, the not-quite clone of, his bestselling "Busting Loose From the Money Game." After reading it this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised and I mean that as a huge compliment.
To put that in perspective, "Busting Loose From the Money Game" changed my life. To expect "Business Game" to change my life again is probably a bit much.
To be honest, I cracked "Business Game" expecting a re-hash of "Money Game," with some business buzzwords and concepts thrown in to appeal to a new market. And indeed, there is a definite appeal to the business-minded. But what makes the new book worth exploring is the combination of subtle re-wordings, added passages, shifts in emphasis and expanded explanations of Robert's basic philosophical message.
(For those not familiar with Robert's work, here is a link to my quick and dirty explanation of what it's all about.)
So even though I consider myself well-versed in the principles of Busting Loose, I did come away with a deeper, more coherent understanding of them. I think there are two reasons for this.
I liken this experience to my repeated readings of A Course in Miracles in the '90s. I was intrigued by ACIM because the Truth was in it. (And I find ACIM very supportive of Busting Loose) I began to realize this when passages I had read and studied a dozen times, would suddenly reveal a new insight -- as I became ready to receive them. The Truth just gets deeper and deeper. I felt the same sensation as I read "Business Game."
But Robert has also obviously been listening to his creations and has done a good job of simply clarifying points that had caused confusion. My perfectionist aspect appreciates that.
Beginners will also appreciate the re-working. Although I do not hesitate to refer people to the "Money Game," the path through "Business Game," in my opinion, is easier to follow, the message more easily absorbed.
Here are a few examples of what jumped out at me, and forgive me if these things were actually in "Money Game" and I just missed them.
On page 113, Robert notes "A belief is nothing but an idea or concept we make up and accept as true. All beliefs are lies, Phase 1 Miracle illusions. There is no such thing as empowering beliefs. In Phase 2, we don't change beliefs, we exchange them for the truth." A subtle but important distinction.
On page 137, he writes that the Expanded Self will "Create patterns in The Field designed to support you in reexperiencing -- in various ways, shapes and forms through amazing stories -- the key limiting and restrictive patterns you created to lock yourself into Phase 1."
While most of us started the Busting Loose process with great anticipation, and dare I say, hope that things in our life would change immediately, Robert reminds us that we will have to re-visit and process the limiting patterns before we can actually bust loose. The reexperience is the first gift of Phase 2, although it may not feel like it.
Robert is a font of metaphors, and keeping track of all the eggs, cloud covers, holograms, movies and sports examples is a full-time game in itself. But I enjoyed the "prison break" metaphor he employs when discussing how most of us are "profoundly impatient" about the Busting Loose journey.
He likens the journey to being in (a Phase 1) prison and possessing only a spoon with which to dig an escape tunnel. We have no choice but to be patient. It is only our judgment about the time the journey takes that hinders us.
There are plenty of other examples, but the point is that for me, the author has made the process, purpose and experience of Phase 2 easier to understand in the "Business Game." I think for most readers being exposed to this radical philosophy for the first -- or second -- time, it makes the work more accessible.
Although on its surface, "Money Game" would seem to have a broader appeal among the public since nearly everyone is involved in the Money Game, not everyone in the Business Game, per se, I would probably recommend the "Business Game" over the "Money Game" if someone forced me to pick one.
But as we know, there are no wrong choices, and that is definitely the case here. I encourage you to read it yourself and let me know your experience of it.
***
You may order the book here if you are so moved. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
In the meantime, be sure to check back for my review of "The Quantum Activist," the new documentary about Amit Goswami. Also, thanks to everyone who came out to see the sneak preview of the movie, and my film, "The Language of Spirituality" on Saturday.
Robert Scheinfeld's "Busting Loose From the Business Game" is the not-quite sequel to, the not-quite clone of, his bestselling "Busting Loose From the Money Game." After reading it this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised and I mean that as a huge compliment.
To put that in perspective, "Busting Loose From the Money Game" changed my life. To expect "Business Game" to change my life again is probably a bit much.
To be honest, I cracked "Business Game" expecting a re-hash of "Money Game," with some business buzzwords and concepts thrown in to appeal to a new market. And indeed, there is a definite appeal to the business-minded. But what makes the new book worth exploring is the combination of subtle re-wordings, added passages, shifts in emphasis and expanded explanations of Robert's basic philosophical message.
(For those not familiar with Robert's work, here is a link to my quick and dirty explanation of what it's all about.)
So even though I consider myself well-versed in the principles of Busting Loose, I did come away with a deeper, more coherent understanding of them. I think there are two reasons for this.
I liken this experience to my repeated readings of A Course in Miracles in the '90s. I was intrigued by ACIM because the Truth was in it. (And I find ACIM very supportive of Busting Loose) I began to realize this when passages I had read and studied a dozen times, would suddenly reveal a new insight -- as I became ready to receive them. The Truth just gets deeper and deeper. I felt the same sensation as I read "Business Game."
But Robert has also obviously been listening to his creations and has done a good job of simply clarifying points that had caused confusion. My perfectionist aspect appreciates that.
Beginners will also appreciate the re-working. Although I do not hesitate to refer people to the "Money Game," the path through "Business Game," in my opinion, is easier to follow, the message more easily absorbed.
Here are a few examples of what jumped out at me, and forgive me if these things were actually in "Money Game" and I just missed them.
On page 113, Robert notes "A belief is nothing but an idea or concept we make up and accept as true. All beliefs are lies, Phase 1 Miracle illusions. There is no such thing as empowering beliefs. In Phase 2, we don't change beliefs, we exchange them for the truth." A subtle but important distinction.
On page 137, he writes that the Expanded Self will "Create patterns in The Field designed to support you in reexperiencing -- in various ways, shapes and forms through amazing stories -- the key limiting and restrictive patterns you created to lock yourself into Phase 1."
While most of us started the Busting Loose process with great anticipation, and dare I say, hope that things in our life would change immediately, Robert reminds us that we will have to re-visit and process the limiting patterns before we can actually bust loose. The reexperience is the first gift of Phase 2, although it may not feel like it.
Robert is a font of metaphors, and keeping track of all the eggs, cloud covers, holograms, movies and sports examples is a full-time game in itself. But I enjoyed the "prison break" metaphor he employs when discussing how most of us are "profoundly impatient" about the Busting Loose journey.
He likens the journey to being in (a Phase 1) prison and possessing only a spoon with which to dig an escape tunnel. We have no choice but to be patient. It is only our judgment about the time the journey takes that hinders us.
There are plenty of other examples, but the point is that for me, the author has made the process, purpose and experience of Phase 2 easier to understand in the "Business Game." I think for most readers being exposed to this radical philosophy for the first -- or second -- time, it makes the work more accessible.
Although on its surface, "Money Game" would seem to have a broader appeal among the public since nearly everyone is involved in the Money Game, not everyone in the Business Game, per se, I would probably recommend the "Business Game" over the "Money Game" if someone forced me to pick one.
But as we know, there are no wrong choices, and that is definitely the case here. I encourage you to read it yourself and let me know your experience of it.
***
You may order the book here if you are so moved. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
In the meantime, be sure to check back for my review of "The Quantum Activist," the new documentary about Amit Goswami. Also, thanks to everyone who came out to see the sneak preview of the movie, and my film, "The Language of Spirituality" on Saturday.
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