In search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness
reviewed by Apis Teicher

In Search of the Miraculous:
Healing into Consciousness
Eliza Mada Dalian
Expanding Universe Press

Eliza Mada Dalian’s In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness is an interesting guidebook on the path to personal and spiritual healing and self-fulfillment. Mada Dalian’s work is not for everyone, however – the work is best suited to people already familiar (and firm believers) in the concepts of re-incarnation and karmic retribution.
Her book is based on the belief that all healing can be accomplished, be it physical, emotional or spiritual by a steady and conscious acknowledgment of the ego. She explores at depth the power of self-healing and wholeness through the deconstruction of the ego, giving a well thought-out , step-by-step approach to accomplish this.

Some of Mada Dalian’s premises are problematic; for instance the belief that experience simply is, rather than being positive or negative. Although this is not a new concept for eastern spirituality, and is linked to the surrender of the ego and desires, Mada Dalian’s take is troublesome. In her chapter about “Healing the Ego in the Seven Chakras” for instance, when asked: “I had an abusive childhood. In what way was it my own creation or choice?”, her response resorts to thoughts of karmic retribution, rather than a genuine search for ways to heal that experience:

If you look deeper into your unconscious, you will see that there was a reason behind the abuse. Somehow, you consciously or unconsciously attracted the experience to further evolution of your consciousness. It is possible that you may have needed to complete a karmic relationship with your abuser, or had to pay a karmic debt.

One wonders the target audience for her work, as it seems ill fitting for those recovering from tragedies or some form of abuse. While most processes of healing will encourage the seeker to take responsibility for his or her own past actions, and events that have in effect poisoned their psyche and/or body, Mada Dalian’s dismissal of this type of pain is deplorable. Furthermore, it helps perpetuate the stereotype that victims were, in some fashion, deserving of their victimization.

In Search of the Miraculous, however, is not entirely without merit; Mada Dalian has broken down complex beliefs into simple, easy to follow steps in a very straightforward fashion. The section on the development of the ego is straightforward and easy to follow, as is her chapter on “Moving through the Seven Bodies”. Her meditation exercises and visualizations offer a practical way to use the theories she has expounded on throughout the text, and they are simple and direct.

The book works best as a guidebook, as an intuitive and well-written exploration into the personal search towards self –fulfillment: as a reflection and counsel on healing it falls short of its lofty goal.

Apis Teicher’s previous review for CPR was “The Haiku Apprentice.”