About eight years ago, a friend gave me an audio version of Deepak Chopra's, Creating Affluence. I listened to it several times, and was intrigued by what Chopra had to say. Drawing from the Vedic tradition, Chopra explains "the mechanisms by which the unmanifest become manifest." It was my first formal exposure to the concepts of intention and the law of attraction.
A couple of years later I revisited this topic by reading Chopra's book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, which focuses on the essential points from Creating Affluence. Then a couple of months ago, I heard that Seven Laws had been turned into a DVD, and consequently, I received an email asking if I would be interested in receiving a review copy.* I thought it would be interesting to see how Chopra's words would be translated into a images, so I happily agreed.
The key concept behind The Seven Spritual Laws is that we have the ability to co-create our lives, our reality, with the Universe. In Chopra's words: "When we put ourselves into harmony with nature, we create a bond with our own desires and the power to make those desires materialize." An article in the Summer '07 issue of Pathways Magazine (a DC-area holistic resources publication), the DVD is described as a "...powerful voyage into a virtual labyrinth of life [that] reveals the universal laws, as explained by Chopra, for living a more purposeful and satisfying life. Join Deepak and friends as they investigate the true meaning of success and the mechanics through which we can manifest our greatest desires and dreams."
The DVD co-bills Chopra with Olivia Newtown-John. Chopra had apparently helped Newton-John in her meditation practice during her battle with cancer. Through that experience, she says that she learned to recreate her life in a more positive, balanced, meaningful form. The video takes the essential points from the book and expands on them with groovy graphics, touching testimonials and mellow music by Newton-John. The movie has a What the Bleep? feel to it as it interweaves Chopra's descriptions of the seven laws, interviews with people who are living the principles of the laws, an ongoing vignette about a couple that learns to live the laws, and images of Newton-John wandering through CGI backgrounds.
For viewers new to Chopra's concept of the seven laws, this DVD could be an entertaining introduction to his ideas. But because I came to this with an already strong impression of this area of his work, I often found the interviews and images distracting. The DVD comes with a handy study guide, which outlines the seven spiritual laws. I found this helpful as I wanted to revisit the key points even after watching the video a couple of times.
I really enjoyed the audiotape I had of Creating Affluence in part because of Chopra's eloquence and his soothing voice, so I was disappointed that the DVD did not contain more of him. For a nice dose of Chopra, you can view an online video of his appearance on The Colbert Report last December to promote his book Life After Death.
The 64-minute DVD is available on Amazon.com or Chopra's website.
*I will be giving away the DVD in a drawing to my newsletter readers. Details in the August issue of StellarSelf News. To sign up for this free monthly newsletter, please visit the StellarSelf website.
The public is invited to a free event November 17th from 4:00pm-6:00pm. I will be signing copies of my new book, Growing Toward Balance: Achievable Ideas for Bringing Harmony to Your Mind, Body and Spirit.
