Ye Gods! How the World Really Works
Today, bookstore shelves overflow with titles by New Age authors who encourage readers to create their own reality through the power of positive thinking. But rather than provide reassurance, these books often leave their audience fearful that a single negative thought will bring on certain disaster. In Betsy Jo Miller’s world, however, using thoughts to construct reality is no big deal. In Ye Gods! How the World Really Works, Miller shares her belief that everyone has the power to constantly create and recreate the world, on both physical and spiritual planes.
At first, Miller seems like a down-to-earth person. She addresses the reader casually and directly, like an old friend. She writes about her work as an inner-city teacher, an affordable-housing advocate, and school founder. And she’s been channeling spirits since her sixteen-year-old son, Kevin, was killed in a car accident. It’s a startling revelation, and Miller shares her own initial doubts about and eventual acceptance of her ability to communicate with a spirit she calls Kaju.
Miller uses what’s known as automatic writing techniques to receive and transmit spiritual messages, which she presents in boldfaced type. Where Miller’s personal notes are folksy and full of pop-culture references, Kaju’s voice is formal and evangelical. He says things such as, “So, as you each influence the future through your thoughts—now do this knowingly with positive ones and finish your lifetime in a joyful manner.”
Miller interrogates her spiritual source, asking him about everything from abortion to cell phones. The consistent reply is that the physical form is irrelevant; it’s truly the thought that counts. There is no right or wrong, only challenges to overcome—over several lifetimes, if necessary.
Miller divides her conversations with Kaju into topical chapters on religion, science, health care, and more, but the discussion always returns to the key themes of thought-based creation and interconnectedness. Support for her theories comes in the form of more theories, and the circular logic ultimately fails to legitimize Miller’s unusual source of wisdom.
Clearly written and easy to read, Ye Gods! is a unique and intriguing book. Readers may remain skeptical of Miller’s methods, yet nonetheless find themselves pondering the questions she raises about the nature of consciousness and life itself.
Reviewed by
Sheila M. Trask
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.
