Spirituality 103, The Forgiveness Code
Finding the Light in Our Shadows
The book’s insights on leading a more fulfilling life will strike advanced students of spirituality as wise.
Ivan Figueroa-Otero’s Spirituality 103, The Forgiveness Code is a thought-provoking examination of the self and the internal and external battles that each person must wage to heal emotional scars and work toward enlightenment.
This book is not for those who are new to the study of spiritual practice. Complex ideas about the nature of the universe and of the self are explored. The author draws on multiple philosophies and religions to create a unique view of reality.
Much of the book is presented using imagery of two warriors—a warrior of light and a warrior of shadow. They represent the inner spirit and the ego. The battle waged by these two warriors occurs both in the landscape of the mind and in the challenge of daily living; it represents struggles to overcome selfishness and anger and to embrace forgiveness and compassion.
The placement of a glossary at the beginning of the book is both helpful and clever, as it offers an opportunity to become familiar with some of the basic concepts used throughout the book before tackling the more difficult ideas presented. Each chapter ends with a homework assignment and a brief list of questions to ponder. These are particularly useful for exploring one’s own life, light, and shadows, and will aid in the incorporation of its teachings.
There is a great deal of solid advice here, on topics such as confronting emotional scars with love, surrounding oneself with people who will protect your inner light, and living an environmentally conscious life.
A brief section offering a code of conduct for warriors of light lays out a series of life steps for leading a more spiritual life. It represents an amazing amount of knowledge condensed into just a few pages of writing. A chapter on meditation similarly offers insights that even regular practitioners will appreciate.
Though it is a book with plenty of truly profound content, many of its points are nearly impossible to understand. Messages are lost in confusing analogies involving multiple dimensions, mind mirrors, dragons, and time machines. This overuse of analogies turns already difficult concepts into fantastical and ultimately unreachable ones.
Spirituality 103 is the third book in a series, and it may be necessary to read the first two books to fully understand its concepts. For those experienced in spiritual study, this book will provide plenty of wisdom.
Reviewed by
Catherine Thureson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
