The Prosperous Heart: Creating a Life of "Enough" [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Best known for her groundbreaking book and workshop about creative recovery, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron returns with an uplifting and inspiring book about the true spiritual meaning of prosperity, The Prosperous Heart. Laid out in the same format as The Artist's Way, Cameron has designed a 12-week recovery program for those suffering from financial instability and an unhealthy relationship with money. Focusing on improving one's financial condition while incorporating faith and spirituality into the process, Cameron once again helps her readers realize that what seems impossible may in fact be within their reach.

The foundational principle of The Prosperous Heart is that prosperity is not a financial concept, but rather a spiritual one. While many seek money as their sole source of stability and abundance, Cameron explains that money alone cannot bring happiness or stability. In actuality, it is faith that provides prosperity, and Cameron freely utilizes her own definition of God as the Great Creator and her personal spirituality to demonstrate her ideas. Fans of Cameron will find familiar tools, such as Morning Pages, three hand-written stream-of-consciousness journal pages written first thing in the morning, and a 20-minute daily walk. New tools for financial recovery include Counting, keeping a small journal of every penny earned and spent over the course of the 12-week program, and Abstinence, a complete abstaining from any further incurrence of debt. These tools were both first presented in Cameron's previous book, Money Drunk, Money Sober.

Over the course of the 12 weeks, the reader discovers his or her own unhealthy money spending patterns, whether they be overspending on credit cards, obsessively seeking out bargains, not spending money if when it is absolutely necessary, or enabling others in their own unhealthy spending habits. Cameron explains that debt is simply a mask for fear and anxiety, and through writing prompts and exercises, she helps her readers uncover the underlying issues for their unhealthy relationship with money. Often making comparisons to other 12-step programs, she demonstrates her examples with real-life tales from her own life and the lives of her many eccentric and creative friends.

The Prosperous Heart is as much about creativity as it is about financial recovery, as Cameron explains that financial instability is often a result of abandoned creativity. Throughout the course, she uses several familiar exercises intended on improving her readers' focus and attention on what they truly love, as doing what you love often promotes an attitude of prosperity and will likely attract further abundance.

Grief and loss are topics explored, as Cameron deals with some of the tougher issues of financial recovery, including examining your current list of friends and acquaintances and determining if you should continue in your current social circle. Working through the course, readers may also find that they are exploring trust issues with both themselves, in the form of fear of falling off the wagon, with others, and with God. She teaches how a gratitude and affirmative prayer can mend those trust issues. Often touching on New Thought concepts of spirituality, Cameron quotes familiar spiritual leaders such as Ernest Holmes, Charles Fillmore, and Catherine Ponder. Also present is the influence of Cameron's longtime friend and spiritual counselor, Sonia Choquette.

Generosity, forgiveness, and an attitude of expecting only the best round out the last few chapters of the book. Cameron explains that a truly prosperous heart is one that makes plans but is also open to unexpected gifts and answers that may not materialize in the exact form in which they were expected. Being open-minded and seeking the best possible solution as dictated by one's Higher Self is a heart that is on the true path of financial recovery and spiritual enlightenment.

The exercises and essays in Julia Cameron's The Prosperous Heart are designed to help her readers achieve financial stability through the instillation of spiritual concepts already familiar to her readers who have endeavored her creative recovery programs. Light-hearted and gentle, this is a valuable book to anyone demonstrating an unhealthy relationship with money and in need of getting to the root, spiritual cause of financial instability.

In the Prosperous Heart, Julia Cameron tells us that prosperity is a state of mind, and that by trusting in God (or whatever idea of God/universal energy we prefer to substitute) we can find true prosperity. My initial reaction before reading the book (in other words, the situation you may be in right now) was of mixed minds: on the one hand, it is easy for her to say, in many ways Julia C has had a gilded life: she's a talented writer and artist with a gift for presenting herself. I'm not suggesting life is easy for her or anybody, but given her talents and drive, it's not surprising that she can relax and trust things will work out, even if she hits bumps along the road. The question is does that ability to assume things will work out apply to everyone. On the one hand it does, as we always are better off having the confidence and calm to deal with whatever we're dealt. On the other, I've seen too many people make foolish financial decisions, figuring the universe will take care of them.

Happily, Ms. Cameron addresses these concerns. In a subtle way she recognizes the old Islamic expression: "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel." She doesn't do this by bogging the reader down in lots of financial details, but by including plenty of practical exercises and concerns, such as keeping track of your income and expenditures and not taking on debt you do not have collateral for (that is, house and car loans are acceptable). This last guideline alone would prevent all sorts of problems for lots of people. Beyond that, Prosperous Heart offers an engaging, wise and practical 12-week program to creating a sense of prosperity. Even her approach to the exercises reveals wisdom: "choose the exercises you are most attracted to and the ones you are most resistant to. Our resistance often points us toward `pay dirt.'"

Ultimately, Ms Cameron's basic premise can't be denied. After all, one reads about the super-rich who still feel poverty stricken and terrified about their financial life. And of monks or simple livers who feel rich on practically nothing. So we may as well get good at developing our sense of feeling rich. So if you're wrestling with money issues, as so many of us are, you'll benefit from the exercises and program that develop true prospersity.

Further Recommendation: You may also be interested in a book I really liked that gave a sense of freedom and relaxation around money issues: I Walked to the Moon and Almost Everybody Waved: The Curiously Inspiring Adventures of a Free Spirit Who Changed Lives. It's about the real-life adventures of a guy who traveled hundreds of thousands of miles penniless, focused on only spreading good will. The universe did indeed provide for him. I found it inspiring, especially for anyone who worries about money.

I came across this book by accident. I love Julia Camerons work, but didn't know about this books release until yesterday. Yes, yesterday. I did what she says not to do and I read it all in one day. I plan on going back and doing each chapter as she says to do. The book resonates within me. Fo so long I've needed a solution for my finances and when she addresses the issues and the how-to's for fixing them I say YES! That makes sense and it's something I can do. Also, her statements that money is a spiritual problem is another Yes! moment for me. Knowing firsthand what she writes about has confirmed for me that this book is going to help get my financial and spiritual house in order. If you are creative and need help with your financial life and your spiritual life, this book is for you. As a kindle owner, I am very particular about spending money on books, since I can get so many for free.This one is worth every penny. Thank You Julia.