Ever Flowing Streams of Healing Energy, by Dana Taylor is a book you do not just read, but experience.
While Ever Flowing Streams is primarily a book regarding Reiki, the power of God, healing energies, surpassing conventional mainstream thinking to heal the body, mind and spirit and encourages the reader to live a cleaner life through whole foods, essential oils and herbs - It has something that few books in its group possess: A genuine sense from the author that she truly cares about the material by investing her own history and memoirs into the work making it more than a Holistic-by-numbers cookie cutter book and turning it into a journey.
Reading through the book you're given a true sense of Ms. Taylor, her experiences, her beliefs, her truths, apprehensions and successes. More than that though - as you read and absorb her words you begin to have awakenings about your own self. These realizations can open doors, scale proverbial mountains within your own mind and conquer issues otherwise thought hopeless.
I have spent the better part of my life reading books on religion, spiritual pursuits, meditation, prayer, bible studies, Reiki, healing, the power of the Divine, energies and so on. I always enjoy reading the material, but normally rarely find myself personally impacted by the writing or the message within the pages. I tend to take in these subjects from an educational perspective and having read so much of it, usually finish the book with a feeling of, "Yes I've read that before," or, "That was somewhat interesting." I apply it where applicable and move on with my day.
To some degree I suppose I had anticipated Ever Flowing Streams to have the same type of impact. I was reading it, because it had come highly recommended by my very close friend, Mary, who had been deeply moved by the writer's material. Finding similarities with the author such as the state they lived in, belief in healing prayer and meditation and heavy involvement in churches, (Mary's husband is a Methodist minister) she felt incredibly encouraged by the book. After a week or two of having it sit in my Kindle app I finally embarked on what would soon come to be a pinnacle point in my life, because of this book.
The Flow
I found Ms. Taylor's explanations on healing prayer, meditation, its practices and eventually her path towards Reiki to be honest, sincere, educated, well explained and thoughtful. I loved the way she incorporated these moving energies into her Christian faith, which for the most part tends to frown heavily upon those who have strong tendencies for healing energies and particularly the concept of Reiki. Having worked in churches knowing well that the mention of these concepts could leave you singled out, cast out and persecuted - I deeply respect the courage and strength it must have taken the author to step out and publish Ever Flowing Streams.
The book itself is not a long and extensive read. In fact I had finished the bulk of it in two days even though my reading time is limited to the time I spend sitting in the driver's seat of my truck while waiting for my son to finish a class, lesson or training session. Suddenly three quarters of the way into the book I stubbed my toe on Chapter 11 and had to shut down the Kindle app in favor of Angry Birds.
Casting off shackles
Chapter 11 embarks on forgiveness, the importance of it, how it is necessary not just because it's a good thing, but because it's a part of the mind, spirit and body's healing process. It's explained that unforgiveness is the root for much disease, pains, ailments and symptoms rampant in our physical lives. Ironically Chapter 11 was also the type of bankruptcy we nearly had to file, which brought up numerous issues for me personally and the realization that not only had I not forgiven anything or anyone, but that I didn't really want to either. It was as though I was holding on to it like the last shreds of a tattered security blanket from a life I could no longer claim, belonging to a person I no longer was. I was filled with such rage and a bitter taste for the concept of forgiveness I felt that my options were to close the Kindle app or smash my tablet over the steering wheel. Not up for the investment price of another device - I opted to exit Kindle and take out my seething anger on some digital pigs with hurled birds.
I immediately messaged Mary, "I don't know if I can finish the book."
She replied, "You're at the chapter on forgiveness aren't you?"
I answered, "Yes!"
She typed back simply, "Just finish it. Trust me."
I'd like to say I'm a big enough person that I was able to just reopen Kindle and resume reading, but the truth is it took me several days to commit myself to continuing the read. When I finally did I had to approach it with an open mind, essentially removing myself from my own circumstances, past, present and uncertain future. I finished the remaining quarter of the book in another day. I mulled the information over again and again. I discussed it with my husband and my friend for three days before I finally decided that if I had this much of an issue with the simple concept of forgiveness and how it applied to so many other areas of my life then it must be a matter worth looking into and was affecting me more than I thought.
Embracing
The morning I finally dedicated myself to sitting down, opening that prayer or meditation time and accepting as well as asking forgiveness will forever be solidified in my mind as a day when all the colloquialisms and phrases we use such as, "casting off the shackles of the old," and "being reborn," had absolute, vivid, and crystal clear meaning for my flesh. It was so much more than a mindset, there was an actual physical transformation. It was a learning process as well. I learned I was holding things against people I had not even realized. I learned that I had so much deep-seeded resentment for myself and choices I'd made in life that I nearly couldn't breath when it came time to actually forgive me and I found that one to be the most difficult of all.
This process, this acceptance, though I'd heard it time and time again in a myriad of different books, articles, presentations, sermons and classes, particularly hit home when coupled with Ms. Taylor's writing style, progression of information and subject matter. It finally made sense and was like being given a spiritual wake-up call. When I finished my meditation I felt lighter, more free, stronger, productive, areas of my body that had been having significant physical issues were suddenly lose and pain free and I felt filled with unbridled joy.
The transformation has been monumental both physically and psychologically. The impact on my family though is what has lead me to review the book and post it on MyWifeCoach. Because of this journey, this experience of Ever Flowing Streams of Healing Energy, I am a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter and I hope a better friend. It has affected my marriage in ways I did not know were possible and even after sixteen years of marriage, I have become phenomenally closer to my husband physically, emotionally and energetically.
Living in Ever Flowing Streams
While most book reviews focus on a synopsis of the material and how the reviewer interpreted it, I felt it was fundamentally important to disclose my own personal experience as it was the best, most powerful way to impress upon others the potential this book has of affecting one's life for betterment if the reader would just be brave enough to apply the practices.
Ever Flowing Streams of Healing Energy, while written from a Christian perspective, does encompass subject matter, which many traditional orthodox Christian churches would consider suspect and discourage others from reading such as reincarnation, chakras and Reiki. It's for this that I feel Dana Taylor should be encouraged and supported for having the courage to step out in writing this book. Ms. Taylor writes in such a way that regardless of someone's personal belief system the reader can be nothing but uplifted, strengthened, encouraged and blessed throughout and certainly by the end of the material.
I think Mary said it best - Just finish it. Trust me.
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Dana Taylor is an accomplished and award winning author. She has written the following titles, all of which are available on Amazon for download:
Her newest book, Jaguar Jack, is now available and moving fast. Amazon sent out over 30,000 downloads of Dana Taylor's books in January and February of 2012 and she's been on the Movers & Shakers list as well as Amazon's Best Seller List.
