Enchanted Love: The Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships Book Review

It’s a lovely rainy day here in Central Cali, so I feel it is my stormy weather loving duty to be irresponsible and ignore my obligations for the day and curl up with a cup of coffee and a new book.

It’s a TREAT YO’SELF kinda day! Woot woot!

I like to read… a lot.. but have found myself lacking the time to do so. So now I’m gobbling up some greedy “me” moments whenever I can to sneak in some book time. How rare is the “me” reading time? Well, it’s Day 9 into the New Year and this is my first time sitting down with a book. Sigh.

I’m reading Enchanted Love: The Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships by Marianne Williamson (published in 2001). It’s not my usual genre of reading, but it came highly recommended, so I thought, why the heck not? Here’s a bit more about this book, via Amazon.com’s description:

Explore the mystical power of intimate relationships in Marianne Williamson’s deeply personal collection of essays, prayers, and self-reflection.

Three of Marianne Williamson’s previous bestsellers — A Return to Love, A Woman’s Worth, and Illuminata — explored the issue of relationships. Now, in this deeply personal collection of essays, prayers, and self-reflection, she turns to romantic love.

In Illuminata, Williamson wrote that “we experience God to the extent to which we love, forgive, and focus on the good in others and ourselves.” Now, in Enchanted Love, she writes that “enchanted partnership begins with the conscious understanding, on the part of two people, that the purpose of their relationship is not so much material as spiritual, and the internal skills demanded by it are prodigious.” High romance, she says, “is not about past or future. It is not about practicality. It is not about society or worldly routines. It is an audacious ride to the center of what is, at the heart of every person. It is a bold and masterful inquiry into what two people really are and how we might become, while still on earth, the angels who reside within us.”

And a little more about the author:

Often called “the voice of her generation,” Marianne Williamson has been lecturing on spirituality since 1983. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers: A Return to Love; A Woman’s Worth; Illuminata; The Healing of America; and Illuminated Prayers. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Marianne continues to inspire audiences on a global scale as she lectures internationally in the fields of spirituality and new thought.

For the last 35 years, she has been one of America’s most well-known public voices, having been a popular guest on television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, & Bill Maher. Seven of her twelve published books have been New York Times Best Sellers and four of these were #1. The mega best seller A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality. A paragraph from that book, beginning “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” is considered an anthem for a contemporary generation of seekers.

SO. Again. Not my usual choice of reading. But I’m feeling saucy, and open-minded and always down to try something new. I’m about 3 chapters in, and while it’s great light reading fodder, with nuggets of food for thought, I’m not really wowed by the endless rambling of obscure and flowery prose. This author has quite a reputation among New Age writers, but I can’t relate to her excessive style at all. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be learning… am I supposed to be learning something? I’m kind of confused.

From what I had heard, this book in meant to put a seemingly new-age spin on old-fashioned beliefs but with chapter titles such as “The Enchanted Sea” and “Of Space Captains and Angels” and containing mostly poems and prayers by the author, I’m a little lost.

I took to Amazon to see what reviewers and had to say, and it seems be about equal parts confused head scratchers and gushing fans. Here’s a couple examples:

“Very vague and generic. Unicorns..starship captains…channelling my inner goddess…joining two souls together to reach a spiritual apex–Ugh! Exactly how is this silly starship metaphysical mumbo-jumbo supposed to help bring two people together?? If Marianne Wlliamson wants to write a book about attaining and maintaining true love, she first needs to beam herself down from Saturn and write about things that actually concern both women–AND MEN! If you’ve written a book that garnered a 90% female readership–there’s obviously a reason for that! It is hard to follow and is more about the dreams of the author and less about factual information.”

“This book is confusing more than it is enlightening.”

“Although some of the author’s poems and prayers may serve as worthwhile meditations, some are quite banal. One poem, for example, contains the line “Your issues are more interesting now.” Is that poetry, or merely the sort of psychobabble one may routinely hear at twelve-step meetings?”

Then there are the this book will change your lifers:

“So many pages of this book are just plain poetry, honest, true and so profoundly beautiful. In true Marianne fashion there are also a lot of get real moments and healthy ego busters. I do not know a single person that has read this book ( and there are now so many) who have not gotten anything out of this book. It’s a life changer.”

“I was very pleasantly surprised how good this book was. I’ve read many, many, many spiritual, metaphysical, philosophical, self-help books. This one was different, and wonderfully insightful and even fun to read. It is helping me clear up my heart regarding men and relationship. Powerful!”

Me? I’m glad it’s a rainy day so I don’t feel quite so guilty lounging by the open window with a book for the day, because the book itself isn’t worth the escape. It’s fluff, albeit beautiful fluff. But if a romantic fancy strikes you and you’re down for something different… do check it out! Anyone want my copy when I’m done? *sips coffee*

Share your thoughts below!