Conference hydra::dejavu

  	What is the Messiah's Handbook.  Is it another name for
  the bible or a book by Richard Bach.  Many authors have built
  there own version of nature very convincingly but only the test
  of time will tell.
  
  						Jorge'

  The Messiah's Handbook is a book used by the characters in Richard
  Bach's book "Illusions".
  
  	- Bill
  

	The Messiah's Handbook, subtitled 'Reminders for the Advanced Soul"
is, as .2 said, used by the characters in the book 'Illusions'.  It contains
many 'sayings' meant to provoke thought.  I have included some here:

	"The world is your exercise-book, the pages on which you
	 do your sums.  It is not reality, although you can express
	 reality there if you wish.  You are also free to write
	 nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages."

	"Every person, all the events of your life are there
	 because you have drawn them there.  What you choose
	 to do with them is up to you."

	"You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning
	 creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self."

	"Here is a test to find out whether your mission
	 on earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't."

    RE: .0
    I believe that there is no one *RIGHT* system of thought.  Some
    things make perfect, self evident sense to some while they seem
    totally off the wall to others.
    
    There are certainly "worse" belief systems than those touched on
    by Richard Bach.  I subscribe to most of them myself (how's that
    for an endorsement? :-)).
    
    I also have no doubt that for some people the belief in Heaven and
    Hell is the best thing for their spiritual progress.
    
    Tom

  Well.....  I thought that all roads led to Rome.  It's to bad
  that mine takes me over the dale, through the forest and across
  the river too.  
  
  I have the theory that knowledge and wisdom play games with us.
  We have to be quick to catch them at their best.  If I am a little
  too slow I miss them.  Sometimes though they give me a second
  shot and I get them.  Anyway, I feel that we are helped along
  per se by outside forces.  Sorta' like Santa's little helpers,
  just invisible like.  
  
  There is just too much to know and too many ways to express it.
  I see all kindsa room for different perspectives.  If I remember
  rightly Richard Bach talked to Jane Roberts about this book before
  he wrote it.  A little resource sharing and networking on the
  side.  This is in the positive light ya' know.  Ain't nothing
  wrong with any of it.  It's all great.

    While I agree with Bach about writng your own book, there are times
    when I feel my fate or destiny.  This sounds like a contradiction but I
    try and listen to my fates; they seem to know more than I do!
    
                       John H.
     

    Re Richard Bach:
    
    Richard Bach was and is an aircraft pilot and a bit of a poet. 
    His _aircraft_ related books include _Nothing By Chance_, _Stranger
    To the Ground_, and _Biplane_.  _Jonathan Livingston Seagull_ was
    the first of his books where he really started to get mystical;
    however, ask any licensed aircraft pilot and he or she will tell
    you that Johnathan and his mentor were as student pilot to instructor.
    After that book, he ventured forth into more metaphysical images.
    
    Richard, incidentally, is a direct lineal descendant of Johann
    Sebastian Bach.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

    Re: .7
    
    Maybe this belongs in FLYING.NOT, but anywho...
    
    I'm a liscensed pilot and I'll confirm that what Steve says is true.
    
    In fact, _Jonathan Livingston Seagull_ was the first Bach book I
    ever read, never having even heard of this guy, and I could tell
    in the first couple of pages that the author was a pilot. My ragged
    well-worn copy of the book is currently in the glove box of my airplane.
    
    I've always identified very strongly with Jonathan.
    
    						- Bluejay Adametz, CFII
    						  AA-5B   N45210

    I had heard somewhere that all the descriptions of flight
in _Jonathan_Livingston_Seagull_ were relevant to planes, but
completely useless for birds . . .
		<_Jym_>

    Re: .9
    
    I don't think so.... A wing will stall whether it's made of aluminium
    or feathers.
    
    						- Bluejay Adametz, CFII

    Re: .0
    
    I have read Illusions so often I can recite parts of it.  Seems
    when I depressed or lost, it helps me sort things out.  It's nothing
    I can put my finger on, but the words just sound right.  This probably
    dosn't make any sense......
    
    BTW: The paperback version of _Bridge Across Forever_ came out alittle
    while ago.  Doesn't quite pick up where Illusions left off, but
    some very interesting concepts...
    
    Mar

    Richard Bach also communicated at some length with Lazaris somewhere
    around the time of Illusions.  I have heard from some of the people
    in Concept:Synergy (where Lazaris is "located") that Richard was
    very heavily in to his own ego.  In spite of that, however, I have
    purchased many copies of both of those books (and Jonathan) because
    I think that they are quite extraordinary.
          
    Frederick
    

    "ILLUSIONS" WAS SPIRITUALLY UPLIFTING!!!
    
    LOVED IT!!!
    
    

    
    Hi. 
    The amazing thing about JLS was that once you had read it, you felt
    that you could do anything, and the surprising thing was that when
    you are on a high like that - you could (If you tried hard enough).
    
    

    Howdy,
    
    	Just thought I'd add my two cents.  Bach is terrific!  The first
    few pages look like he really pulled 'em out of his cockpit notebook.
    The story of the creatures should be read to all school children
    even if they have to cut out stuff like Rapunzel (sp) or Goldilocks
    etc.
    
    	Regards,
    A Canadian Bach fan.
    Larry Bourgeois

    I'm also a fan of Bach - both Richard and Johann!
    
    RE .1
     
    You can try using "Illusions" as a messiah's handbook. Sometime
    if you're looking for advice, pick up "Illusions" and open it to
    any page. when I do this, I usually get a page that has one of the
    quotes from the messiah's handbook. The quotes usually give me more 
    insight to my current dilemma.
    
    RE .8
    
    In "Illusions," Don Shimoda - the reluctant messiah - was also a
    pilot. 
    
    RE .12
    
    In "The Bridge Across Forever," Bach admitted that at times he did
    have an ego.

          

         Richard Bach has a new book out called "ONE".  I have
    not looked at it up close and have no information about it
    at all.  I am very much interested in learning about it, should
    anyone have any information.
    
    
         Thanks.
    
    Frederick
    
    

    Frederick,
    
    I have the book and am almost done reading it.  As usual, it's
    a teaching book but, as with the others, is written in a most 
    entertaining way.  The gist of the book is "What would happen if
    we were able to meet our alternate selves?  What would we say?
    What would we do?"  The alternate selves are not necessarily of
    this space and timeframe.  Great food for thought and includes
    many quotes that I look up time and time again just to make sure
    I've got them right.  (It's not the quotes that are important, I
    just like to make sure I've understood the concepts behind them.)
    
    I recommend the book, along with Illusions and Bridge Across Forever,
    for its concepts and its ease of reading.
    
    If you want to see or borrow our copy when I'm done with it, you
    are welcome to it.
    
    See you,
    
    Jill

    	Jill,
    
    	Thanks for the critique.  As an ardent fan of Richard Bach's
    	work (except for _Bridge Across Forever_ where I found him to
    	be a raging egotist) I will buy this book immediately!
    
    						   Carla
    

    I finished ONE last night.  I had planned on going right to sleep
    but instead decided to read "just a couple pages".  It was so good,
    I finished it.  Now I just need to contact my alternate self that went
    to sleep instead of reading and see if I can benefit from the sleep
    she got...big yawn...big stretch...  :-)  |-)   zzzzzzzzzzz
    
    There are some really nifty ideas in there, especially at the end,
    and it was entertaining, too.
    
    Jill
    

        For Richard Bach fans, the Nov-Dec (I know it's late...I
    just saw it yesterday) issue of Body Mind Spirit magazine has
    an article with him and his wife Leslie, along with several
    photos of them (first time I've seen what he really looks like.)
    
    Frederick
    

    My favourite line in "Illusions" was at the end of the book:
    
    "Everything in this book may be wrong"
    
    Wonderful. Ties in nicely with Sufi ideas about teaching materials.
    It's not actually important whether they're right or wrong (whatever
    those terms mean) what's important is the effect that they have
    on the person reading/doing them.
    
    Brian

Try to find -
"There's No Such Place as Far Away"
by Bach.  It's another precious one!!

love,
-pam

    
    Hi,
    	I've read the Richard Bach books myself and while I can agree with
    much of whats written in these, I find myself asking about the
    experiences of the writer.  The "Illusions" book was published as
    fiction, but is is unlikely that the entire work was based on
    imagination alone.  There is sure to be some real expierence that is
    the source of the text, (this applies to "ONE" as well).  Does the
    reality of the expierence that lead to the books differ significantly 
    from events described, how much, and in which ways?  What was happening
    at the time of the writing, and how much is for the benifit of readability
    and the publisher?
    
    	Also does anyone know what's next.  Are there more books after
    "ONE"?  What was the last time there was some public activity that the
    Bach's were involved in?  Where are they now?
    
    	Hungry for more,
        				The Forrest Glen.
    

    He has a new book on the shelves in hardback right now: Running From
    Safety. I haven't bought it yet. 
    
    - Russ