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Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 09 Mar 2019, 13:29
by Letora
I am finding that while reading this I wish there was more context in certain situations. For example, during Robert's vision quest, he states that the questions he had were in fact not important by the middle of the day. What do you think those questions could have been? He also mentioned that his priorities were not in order. What were those priorities? Were these things in general about life, or the process of the vision quest itself? He also didn't seem to have a vision. Instead, he experienced intense emotions. Maybe I am trying to read this too literally? What are your thoughts on the chapter about vision quests, and did you have any other chapters that you needed clarification on?
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 02:10
by Poppy Drear
I find a lot of these books about spiritual enlightenment pretty vague. I suppose it just comes with the territory of trying to describe the (arguably) indescribable. I don't feel like I'm up to the task of dissecting everything you brought up, but I agree that it's pretty distracting to be left with all of these questions!
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 09:58
by mmm17
Good point. I would also like some clarification on certain parts, especially on how exactly the visions happen. I was really curious about them. Were they just dreams? Maybe very vivid, emotional dreams? In the Amazon he was awake, but had ingested substances. Anyway, I agree that maybe we are trying to read this too literally.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 13:39
by HRichards
I struggle with books about spiritual enlightenment. I feel like spiritual enlightenment is a very personal thing that you can't really explain and recreate properly to another person. It's more a feeling, which makes descriptions of it often very vague.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 15:22
by Letora
mmm17 wrote: ↑10 Mar 2019, 09:58
Good point. I would also like some clarification on certain parts, especially on how exactly the visions happen. I was really curious about them. Were they just dreams? Maybe very vivid, emotional dreams? In the Amazon he was awake, but had ingested substances. Anyway, I agree that maybe we are trying to read this too literally.
As I began to read more into his teachings, I had to take a step back a bit to digest what he was saying. I think he tried to put enough context into the beginning to relate to the teachings later on in the story, but he missed the mark a bit on some of them. I question his Amazon vision because it was under the influence of the natem. I also wonder why he didn't question it himself as his belief was founded on questions.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 19:10
by spencermack
This is clearly vague. The author may be trying to reach a wider audience but as you said, it can leave the reader wanting.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 23:16
by Kibet Hillary
I am still trying to absorb what is contained in the book and so currently I am not looking for more information. However, there are instances where it is true that one would have wished that the author would have given more details.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 11 Mar 2019, 02:10
by briellejee
I can relate to your frustrations about certain parts of the book. But I guess I am not thinking about them too much since I really think it wasn't that important. I mean the focus of the author in the book or in that part is laid out so I guess him not writing down some answers equate to holding no value to the rest of the topic. Although, I agree with you that the author has a lot of intense emotions that he experienced. I guess he considers them as vision since it felt like a Eureka at that moment.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 11 Mar 2019, 04:43
by NuelUkah
Letora wrote: ↑09 Mar 2019, 13:29
I am finding that while reading this I wish there was more context in certain situations. For example, during Robert's vision quest, he states that the questions he had were in fact not important by the middle of the day. What do you think those questions could have been? He also mentioned that his priorities were not in order. What were those priorities? Were these things in general about life, or the process of the vision quest itself? He also didn't seem to have a vision. Instead, he experienced intense emotions. Maybe I am trying to read this too literally? What are your thoughts on the chapter about vision quests, and did you have any other chapters that you needed clarification on?
Honestly, this book won't appeal to readers who are not drawn to spiritual awakening. These things are better experienced individually as no human words could perfectly explain spiritual mysteries. I think the book has so much information already. The author has other books. Perhaps you could find some answers to your questions there. There are some things you'd never understand at first read. You may need to read again and again to gain understanding.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 11 Mar 2019, 07:33
by PGreen
I agree! His personal stories would be more believable with details. For example, when he said karate was no longer for him as a teen and the atmosphere wasn't good, I would have liked to have known why. Authors should show, not just tell.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 17 Mar 2019, 09:46
by Crazyreader01
While spiritual enlightenment is something that only people who have been through understand, making it hard to explain to those who haven't, I do think that the author could've clarified certain things a bit more. I think that would've helped people visualise what he meant. Make his words more real.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 02:37
by Moddesser Elahi
I think the vision should be his conversation with Jesus Christ in the dream which changed the course of his life and he took the path of spirituality to spread the message of unconditional love.
As you have mentioned, even I found a few things which were quite complicated for me to understand. Like, Richard says that the body can decide about the best suitable food for it without our interference. This concept I could not understand. I even found a few techniques mentioned in regards to getting the awareness of spirituality to be quite difficult to comprehend.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 22:43
by Chrystal Oaks
NuelUkah wrote: ↑11 Mar 2019, 04:43
Letora wrote: ↑09 Mar 2019, 13:29
I am finding that while reading this I wish there was more context in certain situations. For example, during Robert's vision quest, he states that the questions he had were in fact not important by the middle of the day. What do you think those questions could have been? He also mentioned that his priorities were not in order. What were those priorities? Were these things in general about life, or the process of the vision quest itself? He also didn't seem to have a vision. Instead, he experienced intense emotions. Maybe I am trying to read this too literally? What are your thoughts on the chapter about vision quests, and did you have any other chapters that you needed clarification on?
Honestly, this book won't appeal to readers who are not drawn to spiritual awakening. These things are better experienced individually as no human words could perfectly explain spiritual mysteries. I think the book has so much information already. The author has other books. Perhaps you could find some answers to your questions there. There are some things you'd never understand at first read. You may need to read again and again to gain understanding.
You said it best. I know for myself that I will want to read this book again frequently. Haight covers so much information that it is impossible to expect to understand everything he has written in one reading.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 22 Mar 2019, 13:39
by Diana Lowery
PGreen wrote: ↑11 Mar 2019, 07:33
I agree! His personal stories would be more believable with details. For example, when he said karate was no longer for him as a teen and the atmosphere wasn't good, I would have liked to have known why. Authors should show, not just tell.
Yes, I agree with this 100%. I, too, would like to know more about why and when things happened. Because the author decided to make the first part a memoir, he should have been more descriptive. If it was a spiritual guide only, the details would not have been so important. I feel like he is trying to hide parts of his life. For instance when he talks about a mentor helping him get away from the darker side of mysticism, it would have been nice to know exactly what he was talking about.
Re: Is anyone else looking for more context?
Posted: 23 Mar 2019, 08:22
by Juliana_Isabella
I think that leaving certain things vague (like in the specific scenes you pointed out) allows the book the be relatable for more people. For example, others may not have the exact same questions before their vision quest, but they may still feel their questions are unimportant by the end of it.