The Way of the Wizard

December 1, 1995
Chopra, the author of 13 books and more than 30 audio- and videotapes, has prepared another best seller in the world of spiritual awakening. Of his previous titles, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success (New World Library Pub., 1995) and The Return of Merlin (LJ 7/95) most mirror this title in content. Chopra presents the illusions of life, death, and mortality through Merlin's eyes, as he teaches the young Arthur all of life's possibilities through example. The book's second part contains illustrations of life lessons with exercises in meditation. Part 3 introduces the seven steps of spiritual alchemy, an Arthurian legend allegory packaged with a bit of Jungian psychology. This title will be the focal point for a PBS special. Recommended for public libraries.-Lisa Wise, Univ. of Southern Colorado, Pueblo

December 1, 1995
Chopra is big. His message about attaining joy and fulfillment by recognizing the mind-body connection has struck a chord that's reverberated beyond New Agers into the general public. Still, he basically has only one message, leaving him no choice but to try to jazz it up with each successive book. Recently, Chopra ventured into the world of fiction with mixed results. This time, he blends a bit of folklore into his "lessons" about 20 principles for reintroducing magic into one's life. Invoking the Camelot legends and using Arthur and Merlin (also the focus of his novel, "The Return of Merlin" [Je 1 & 15 95]) as metaphors for the eternal seeker and inner wisdom, Chopra gives readers the tools to find the enchantment in their own lives. He did this succinctly and plainly in his recent best-seller, "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" (1995); here, unfortunately, the jaunt through Camelot obscures the basic message rather than enhancing it. Nevertheless, Chopra is a brand name by now--demand will be heavy. ((Reviewed December 1, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)

January 1, 1996
Returning to the themes of alchemy and wizardry he introduced in The Return of Merlin (LJ 7/95), perennially popular author Chopra here articulates a 20-step guide for discovering the wizard within and taking control of the spiritual journey of one's life. Beginning with the proclamation that the omniscient wizard is within all of us, Chopra uses a weird and eclectic combination of Zen koan, Jungian analysis, Hindu mythology, and alchemy to lead seekers in the way of the wizard. Chopra's thinking and writing is replete with the fuzzy mysticism and superficial spirituality that characterize his other works. Although Chopra's faithful followers will likely demand copies, the book is not recommended.